At the exhibition mobile technology, which was held in Berlin in 2013, demonstrated a new smartphone model from Sony Mobile - Z1. A little later, the Xperia line was officially replenished with a "mini" version of the flagship Sony Xperia Z1 compact review which is popularly described below.

The OmniBalance design of the entire Z series as a whole is very original, and in many ways it was he who contributed to the great success of this line. The design of the new device used high-quality materials with matte surfaces of metal parts. The front panel of the smartphone is perfectly smooth, fully covered protective glass. In the upper corner of the frame in the center is a speaker, a little lower behind the glass there is a Sony logo. To the right of the logo is the front camera lens, light sensor and proximity sensor. On the side faces are the controls. The compact version repeats the features of the base model but differs in size and weight. FROM closed lids a smartphone can stay without harm for up to half an hour under a layer of fresh water at a depth of one and a half meters.

Performance and Software

Sony Xperia Z1 compact review in part specifications chipset will almost completely repeat the parameters of the base model.

The smartphone is available with support for the following data transfer standards:

• GSM/2G;
• WCDMA/3G;

The processor is similar to the base model QualcommSnapDragon 2.2 GHz. The amount of RAM is 2GB, the onboard constant is 16GB.

Screen

The screen of the smartphone supports a resolution of 1280x720p. The matrix is ​​made using IPS technology, it has 341 pixels per square inch. The screen diagonal is 4.3 inches. Brightness is adjusted automatically thanks to a sensitive sensor on the front panel. If the automatic adjustment does not suit the owner, he can set the brightness manually in the display settings. The image is rendered using Sony's technology called X-Reality. This technology allows you to reproduce an improved picture and is also used in Sony TVs. To reduce glare and shadows, the air gap between the matrix and the protective glass is minimized - the technology for creating such a screen is called OptiContrast.

Camera

The smartphone uses two modules of digital cameras: main and front. The latter has a matrix resolution of 2 megapixels, which allows you to take good pictures in 1920X1080 format. The front camera has almost a record resolution of 20.7 megapixels. It is equipped with a "G" model lens and a separate "Bionz for mobile" image processor. By default, the camera works in “super auto” mode and takes widescreen shots. For automatic mode, the resolution is 3840X2160, a higher resolution of 5248X3936 for 20.7MP is available only in manual mode. The main camera of this smartphone can compete with budget digital compact cameras (without taking into account the capabilities of optics).

Battery

The smartphone battery supports Stamina mode. This smart energy saving control is used in many electronic devices Sony. Stamina mode turns off all unused communication modules and unloads unused programs. The Wi-Fi module does not consume battery power in location-based mode, but is activated only in the vicinity of a known access point. Capacity battery is 2300 mAh - this is enough for watching videos for 11 hours or playing games with 3D graphics for five and a half hours.

Conclusion

Of course, there were no grandiose marketing plans behind the release of the compact version of this smartphone; rather, this is a standard move used by many manufacturers. If the display parameters are not so important for you, as the very involvement of the device in the brand and its compactness are important - Sony Xperia Z1 compact features which you now know would be a good choice.

With the advent of large and very powerful flagship smartphones on the market, the direction of creating their smaller copies was born, implying capabilities similar to the top-end device. Alas, until recently, not a single company has been able to make a full-fledged compact flagship comparable in performance to Apple iPhone the latest generation - behind their big names often hid a much more budgetary interior at inflated prices. This was exactly until the Sony Xperia Z1f was introduced in Japan - the first full-fledged reduced flagship on Android, which is in no way inferior in key characteristics to the top-end Xperia Z1. The device has already managed to become famous for the fact that in its home market it outperformed the Apple iPhone 5S in sales. This model was later introduced to the international market under the name Z1 Compact and not so long ago went on sale in our country at a fairly affordable price (21,990 rubles). You could already read the first impressions of getting to know the device on our website, but now we will look at it in more detail.

Technical Sony specifications Xperia Z1 Compact:

• Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900MHz), WCDMA/HSPA (850/900/1700/1900/2100MHz), LTE (800/900/1800/2100/2600MHz)
• Platform (at the time of announcement): Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
• Display: 4.3", 1280 x 720 pixels, IPS, 342 ppi
• Camera: 20.7MP, f/2.0, 1/2.3”, 1.1µm, LED flash, autofocus, Full HD video recording, Sony Exmor RS sensor, G Lens, SteadyShot
• Front camera: 2 MP
• Processor: 4 cores, 2.2 GHz, Snapdragon 800
• RAM: 2 GB
• Internal memory: 16 GB
• Memory card: microSD (up to 64 GB)
• GPS and GLONASS
• Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX
• WiFi (802.11a/b/g/n/ac)
• micro USB 2.0
• 3.5mm jack
• IP55/IP58 protection
• Battery: non-removable, 2300 mAh
• Dimensions: 127 x 65 x 9.4mm
• Weight: 140 g

Video review and unboxing

Design, construction and equipment

A non-commercial sample of a smartphone arrived for testing, intended only for the needs of journalists and not for sale. The corresponding inscription "Demo Only. Not For Sale" is available on the packaging and is visible to the naked eye. As a rule, such samples differ little from commercial devices from the first batches (they even have the same release date), however, in the case of the test Z1 Compact, there were some differences, but more on that below.

The packaging of the smartphone is similar to the Xperia Z1. It is very simple, without any frills. The kit is also simple: only a sync cable and a 1.5A charger unit. The commercial package for Russia also includes the MH750 headphones - quite good as a headset and for listening to music, especially if you are not too picky about sound quality. The device comes to the market in four colors (white, black, pink and lime), the lime variant came to the test - the brightest and most interesting of them. You don't often see high-end smartphones in such vibrant colors (the only exceptions are Nokia Lumia, and more recently the iPhone 5C), so it's no surprise that the yellowish-lime Z1 Compact is of great interest, both from journalists and from future potential buyers (judging by numerous discussions of new items in in social networks). By the way, the budget Xperia M in a similar color set a kind of sales record for Russian market, for the first time approaching the black color variation of the same smartphone, traditionally the most popular in Russia, in terms of the number of devices sold. In general, there are prerequisites for the great popularity of the Z1 Compact in lime color. Interestingly, unlike previous top models, the metal frame of the Z1 Compact is also painted in the color of the case.

Outwardly before us full copy Xperia Z1 with the OmniBalance design concept (balance and symmetry in every way) in a smaller version, but the layout of the elements is slightly different. The front side is equipped with a 4.3" IPS display with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. Here, as before, a lot of chips are used (TRILUMINOS backlight, whatever it means, X-Reality software enhancer), but if before they looked like empty words (on Z1 for sure, unlike the Z Ultra), then they do not play any role here - the screen itself is simply excellent, the best of all that are now put in Sony smartphones.High brightness (lower than the iPhone 5S, but comfortable for all conditions), deep black (not the AMOLED level, and it is highlighted at diagonal angles, but this is not critical and looks decent against the background of other IPS screens - the Nexus 5, for example, has a worse screen), excellent contrast and color reproduction, very small inversion when tilted (for the same 5S it is more noticeable).In general, there are only positive emotions from the screen.The increased sensitivity of the display slightly spoils the impression - the screen does not always accurately detect touches and swipes, but this is very rare (3-4 times per day). b) and brings much less discomfort than a similar problem with Xperia Z Ultra from early shipments with the first firmware. Probably, the problem will be fixed with the release of new software, if it is widespread, which is still difficult to judge, since, according to the reviews of owners of commercial devices, not everyone is faced with it. The screen itself is traditionally covered with a protective film. It will be very problematic to remove it (and the Sony logo will disappear), and it gets dirty and scratched only in this way - the purchase of a cover-cover or an additional protective film will definitely not be superfluous here.

Some people scold the Z1 Compact for having thick bezels around the screen (thin bezels are all the rage right now and the best example is here Motorola Moto X with a 4.7" screen in a smaller case than the Z1 Compact). But if you remember that the size of the device is comparable to the Apple iPhone 5S, equipped with a smaller screen (4") with similar thick bezels, then call Sony's compact flagship " awkward fat man "somehow the tongue does not turn, given the presence of a thick metal frame and a case protected from water and dust. It is easy to implement minimal frames using only plastic (both Motorola and Korean companies successfully prove this), another thing is to do so with Apparently, even in the upcoming full-size flagship, Sony engineers will not be able to make much progress in this direction, but in one of the next top models, the bezels will most likely be reduced.

Proximity and light sensors, a 2-megapixel front camera, a speaker (very loud and high-quality) are traditionally placed above the screen. A powerful LED (like the Z1) is hidden in the slot of the earpiece, flashing in different colors (green, orange and red for charging, white for notifications) - you definitely won’t be able to miss an important message. The bottom end is equipped with a multimedia speaker, whose design gives hope for its high volume and power, however, due to the moisture-resistant case and the protective membrane inside, the musical capabilities of the speaker are not impressive. The volume is average, the sound is shallow. The microphone, apparently, is hidden by the same mesh. To the right of the speaker is a strap mount - Sony is one of the few companies that continues to use this design element. At the top, there is a 3.5 mm audio jack, which, as in the case of the Z1, is not equipped with a plug. He is not afraid of water ingress, but listening to music over the wire after swimming for a couple of hours is definitely not worth it.

The right side of the device has a branded metal power button (small and rather tight), volume keys and even a camera key (used to quickly start from standby mode and for shooting). It is also very small and not very convenient, but its presence will not be superfluous, especially for underwater shooting (and the Z1 Compact allows you to do this thanks to IP55 / 58 water and dust protection for half an hour at a depth of one and a half meters in fresh water). All connectors are located on the left side. Here is the magnetic connector for the docking station. The DK32 branded dock will be on sale, however, the DK30 from Z Ultra also fits the phone if you remove the nozzle from it (I think DK31 from Z1 will also work). In this case, the Z1 Compact does not sit very stable, but it holds, and it charges perfectly (owners of the Z Ultra take note, so to speak). A little lower is a slot for a micro-SIM card, you can also see a special tab in it, pulling which you can find out the date of manufacture of the device. Our test demo was released in the second week of January 2014. Commercial samples come from the fourth week, and are already found from the fifth. As a rule, the fresher the release date of the device, the better - the production is honed and comes into full force, which minimizes various possible defects. There is a card slot above the magnetic platform. microSD memory and an MHL port. All slots and ports are closed with plugs. From several charges, the MHL port cap did not come loose, but it is better to use a magnetic dock - this will maintain maximum tightness over time.

The rear panel pleases the eye with a large eye of a 20.7-megapixel camera with G Lens optics, which migrated here from the older model, and a flash. Slightly above it is a slot similar to the earpiece hole (remember the OmniBalance concept), probably intended for an additional microphone, since there are no more holes on the case. Below you can see the company logos and the NFC tag indicating exactly where to lean compatible devices. Despite the fact that the Z1, Z Ultra and even their progenitor Z had a glass back panel, the Z1 Compact uses plastic (polycarbonate) without a protective film. There are exactly two minuses here: the plastic scratches faster (on the very first day of relatively careful wearing, there were a few scratches on it, noticeable in the light), and it also creaks a little when pressed. But there are also pluses. For example, a smartphone heats up noticeably less than its glass counterparts. More precisely, it heats up in about the same way, but it is felt noticeably weaker. There are no external differences from the glass panel, and if you do not know about its plastic nature, you can not guess. You can check the actual absence of glass in three ways: open the device (a radical method), try to scratch it with a sharp object in front and behind, or tap your nails on both sides of the smartphone at the same time. The sound of the front panel will be deeper, the back - higher, while the same glass Xperia Z Ultra sound from tapping is the same on both sides. To preserve the most attractive presentation, it is again recommended to acquire a cover or film.

There are no complaints about the assembly of the device. Subtle creaking when squeezed can be considered a design feature, but otherwise the Z1 Compact is as monolithic as possible. A solid metal frame inspires confidence and gives the device that very pleasant weight that makes it feel like a really high-quality thing, although for some the smartphone will definitely be heavy - 140 grams, after all.

Software

Smartphone works under Android control 4.3 in the Xperia Home shell, as they say, out of the box. The timing of the update to 4.4 KitKat has not yet been specified, but there is no doubt that the device will receive new software in the first wave along with the Z1 and Z Ultra. In its current form (firmware 14.2.A.1.114), the interface of the device does not differ from that of the Xperia Z1 (the Z Ultra has a different screen grid, otherwise everything is the same). All the features characteristic of the latest update, which brought Android 4.3, are present here, but even without a couple of features inherent only to the Z1 Compact, it could not have done. This is a screen mode with gloves, as well as a white balance setting (it was previously in the Xperia ZL, it appeared in the Xperia Z1 and Ultra quite recently, while it was originally featured in the Z1f for the Japanese market).

The rest of the software features are standard for the Xperia line. There is no point in listing them all again, see the screenshots.

Not without pre-installed third-party software, too. There is a File Commander file manager, McAfee antivirus Security, Office Suite for document viewing, Pixlr Express photo editor. If desired, all of them can be removed without "dancing with a tambourine".

Camera

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact uses the same module as the flagship Xperia Z1 - 20.7MP resolution, Exmor RS sensor, f/2.0 aperture, 1/2.3" matrix, 1.1µm pixel size. G optics are used Lens, it uses SteadyShot, an electronic stabilizer that has been successfully demonstrated in the Xperia Z1, for image stabilization.The interface is standard for new Xperia devices, has a lot of features and idiosyncratic additions to the camera (with fun augmented reality or object information, the ability to share videos on Facebook, shooting 30 frames with one click, and so on), which can be supplemented with applications from Google Play (for example, a proprietary add-on Movie frame is available for download, which takes frames in motion, and soon there will also be Defocusing the background, which makes excellent bokeh in the style of SLR cameras).

As for the quality of the pictures themselves, it is one of the best on the Android smartphone market. Can only compete with the Z1 Compact samsung galaxy Note 3, Meizu MX3 and Nexus 5 in HDR + mode, but these are materials for a separate comparison (and you will definitely see them a little later). The original Sony Xperia Z1 performed well against Nokia's top-end Windows Phone camera phones, so the Z1 Compact will perform just as well (we can't compare directly at the moment). Compared to the Z1, the compact version, in my opinion, and the memory, have slightly changed photo processing algorithms (there is more contrast and sharpness, but the noise and soap remain in their places), which gives us reason to compare the Z1 and Z1 Compact in the near future in terms of cameras in more detail. Below you can evaluate the quality of the images yourself, comparative shots with the Nexus 5 and Apple iPhone 5S will soon be published in separate materials. From myself I can only notice that in full automatic mode the device shoots more accurately in colors than in full-size mode with 20.7-megapixel photos. They tend to turn out darker than in reality, the colors are rendered less naturally. Auto mode not only conveys the picture more accurately, but also gives the photos a little more artistic expressiveness. Below are a few photos in auto mode, you can compare them with those presented above.

Quality Full HD video also very good. I especially want to note its impressive smoothness, thanks to the extremely effective electronic stabilization SteadyShot (it works even better than the optical stabilization of some models). The Z1 Compact camera reproduces colors and sound well, but the device is unlikely to cope adequately with concert shooting, however, like the previous ones. Sony models. In conditions that are not the best for shooting, the video quality becomes worse, the device does not always quickly focus even on long shots (focusing on macro does not always work well during the day, but this is rare). In general, see the example below and do not forget to evaluate the capabilities of the Z1 Compact in comparison with the Nexus 5 and iPhone 5S on our website soon!

Performance and user experience

The device is based on the Snapdragon 800 chipset with a frequency of 2.2 GHz, has 2 GB of RAM and an Adreno 330 graphics accelerator. This makes the smartphone the only compact flagship on the market with a filling similar to the current full-size flagship of the company. Moreover, judging by the latest leaks, the Z1 Compact will retain this position among the mini-flagships of the Android world for a long time to come. The upcoming LG G2 mini is much weaker in performance, the planned HTC One mini 2 will also be weaker. Probably, only Samsung will be able to oppose the Japanese smartphone with something more worthy than its competitors, but even then there are big doubts about this. In general, Sony hit the mark. There is no other such powerful and compact device on the Android market, and will not appear soon. It is reasonable to assume that with such a filling and an HD screen, the device should work just like lightning, show incredible performance in synthetic tests and benchmarks. And here lies something unexpected. In the case of the interface and the smoothness of the system, there are no problems. There are occasional occasional shell stutters and widgets sometimes reloading (this is typical of the Xperia Home and should be the case on Sony devices if you haven't used one of the screens for several minutes).

According to the results of synthetic tests, nothing extraordinary is revealed either - all indicators are at the level of current flagships with Full HD screens. AnTuTu - 34558, AnTuTu X - 33691, Geekbench 3 - 940/2849, Quadrant - 21896, Vellamo - 2958/1162, 3DMark - 19093, Epic Citadel Ultra Quality - 57 fps, GFXBench 3.0 - 17/9, 1/35/23 fps, Basemark OS II - 947 points. That is, in fact, HD-resolution does not give any increase in performance. It is worth mentioning here that our test sample is not for sale and is a demo. At the beginning of the review, I wrote that some differences from the commercial sample in our Z1 Compact are still observed, and they are revealed precisely in performance tests. Our device gets very hot and gives maximum results only in the refrigerator for a number of tests, while commercial devices do not suffer from such problems and heat up much less. To prove this, see below the results of the Stability Test.

As you can see, the test Z1 Compact is not doing very well with heating - 46 degrees in half an hour according to the results of the test run, strong resets of the processor frequency. The commercial Z1 Compact performed much better and heated up to only 40 degrees, eventually showing better results in frequency and behavior during the test. That's even lower than the normal 42 degrees for the Snapdragon 800. It's noticeably lower than the test Compact, as well as the Xperia Z1 (47 degrees) and Nexus 5 (47.5 degrees). Probably, we did not come across the most successful demo sample, or the company saved on the amount of thermal paste for the entire batch of test smartphones produced in the second week of this year (if you find one on sale in a store or from resellers, be careful).

With games on the smartphone, everything is fine. Top hits go without brakes (however, in Modern Combat 4 the graphics are not the maximum and the fault lies with the developer - Gameloft), only GTA San Andreas can not boast of an ideal speed for a long time of the game (but this is completely normal for this toy, as it lags on absolutely all Android smartphones).

The autonomy of the device with its 2300 mAh battery is excellent. The phone quietly lives a full working day and even a little more. In general, you can count on 13-15 hours of active use of all functions with the STAMINA mode turned on and about 5.5 hours of active screen. In HD-video viewing mode at maximum brightness and volume, the smartphone will last for 10 hours (the discharge is 9-10% per hour), in the case of games - 3.5 hours at maximum brightness and volume in GTA San Andreas.

Phone functions work flawlessly, the sound quality in the headphones is very good, except that there is almost no volume margin.

During the week of active use of serious software failures, exactly two were identified, but both of them passed after a complete reset of the data. In the first case, the so-called "sleep of death" manifested itself in the apparatus - an exit too long or not leaving the blocked state at all. In the second case, the telephone part of the Z1 Compact ceased to function normally - strong wheezing of the conversational speaker did not allow to hear the interlocutor normally, and the person on the other end of the wire complained about the strong wheezing of my voice. I repeat once again that a complete cleaning of all data saved the device from all problems, so if you suddenly encounter something like this, you know what to do. In extreme cases, software recovery through PC Companion or Sony Update Service with data formatting can help. I note that several familiar owners of commercial devices did not complain about any of the problems listed above. Obviously, there have been software failures that will be cured with updates.

Output

Sony has a great smartphone. Perhaps this is the best device of the company since the release of the ancestor of the new line - the classic Xperia Z. Not only is it not worse than the current full-size flagship Xperia Z1, but also better - especially the screen quality and autonomy. Among Android devices, the Z1 Compact does not yet have, and no competitors are foreseen. At a comparable price (21,990 rubles) there are a lot of offers from other companies, but none of them are as compact, productive and protected. Among smartphones based on other systems, the Z1 Compact now has only one competitor - the Apple iPhone 5S. You can read a comparative review of these two pocket monsters on our website the other day. Well, if you suddenly think that it is better to take LG / Google Nexus 5 for 16,000-18,000 rubles and save money, then another comparative review is being prepared for you, which you can read and watch very soon. Stay with us!

Sample photos taken with the camera Sony smartphone Xperia Z1 Compact

The video is shot in Full HD resolution, thanks to good image stabilization, the picture is clear.

performance, autonomy

As we have already mentioned, the Z1 Compact has everything in order with the hardware stuffing, in many respects it is the same as the original Z1. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor is still one of the fastest on the market, as well as the Adreno 330 graphics, the 805th model with Adreno 420 has not yet managed to find widespread use in top devices, this should be expected in a couple of months.

But here is the focus. In many tasks, the Xperia Z1 Compact will be able to compete even with devices on newer chips. The fact is that a lower resolution allows the SoC to show more high performance compared to Full HD solutions. In particular, with the older brother: according to many tests, the full-size Z1 loses to the compact version. We conducted a series of standard benchmarks, the results naturally turned out to be impressive.

As you know, the Android OS does not have the best reputation in terms of RAM usage. In this regard, leaving 2 GB of RAM, as in the original Z1, is a Solomon decision. Even after some time has passed, when Android has time to pretty much loosen up in terms of appetite, the smartphone should work smoothly and without delay.

To store content, 16 GB of memory is provided, of which only 12 GB is available. The situation is designed to save the microSD card slot, which supports media up to 64 GB.

In terms of communication, the smartphone has everything to the maximum: LTE (including Russian frequencies, of course), Wi-Fi up to ac, as well as Bluetooth, GPS / GLONASS and NFC. The MHL port allows you to output the image to big screen, as well as connect various USB peripherals and even use the smartphone battery as a power bank for another mobile device.

By the way, the battery capacity here is much less than that of the progenitor: not 3000, but only 2300 mAh. However, the autonomy indicators of the device are on top. You may not take Charger to work, even in busy mode, the smartphone will easily work all day, and even the stock will remain.

General characteristics

Type

Deciding on the type of device (phone or smartphone?) is quite simple. If you need a simple and inexpensive device for calls and SMS, it is recommended to stop the choice on the phone. A smartphone is more expensive, but it offers a wide variety of options: games, videos, the Internet, thousands of programs for all occasions. However, its battery life is significantly less than that of a simple phone.

smartphone Operating system(at the beginning of sales) Android 5.0 Case type Classic Design Waterproof Control On-screen buttons Number of SIM cards 1 SIM card type

In modern smartphones, not only conventional SIM cards can be used, but also their more compact versions of micro SIM and Nano SIM. eSIM is a SIM card integrated into the phone. It takes up almost no space and does not require a separate tray for installation. eSIM is not yet supported in Russia. Glossary of terms for the category Mobile phones

micro SIM Weight 137 g Dimensions (WxHxD) 64.9x127x9.5 mm

Screen

Screen type color IPS, 16.78 million colors, touch Touch screen type multi-touch, capacitive Diagonal 4.3 inches. Image size 1280x720 Number of pixels per inch (PPI) 342 Aspect Ratio 16:9 Automatic screen rotation eat

Multimedia features

Number of main (rear) cameras 1 Resolution of the main (rear) camera 20.70 MP rear, LED Functions of the main (rear) camera autofocus, digital Zoom 8x Recognition of faces, smiles Video recording yes (3GPP, MP4) Max. video resolution 1920x1080 Geo Tagging is Front-camera Yes, 2 MP Audio MP3, AAC, WAV, FM radio Headphone jack 3.5mm MHL video output

Connection

Standard GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A Cat. 4 Support for LTE bands 800, 900, 1800, 2100, 2600 Interfaces

Almost all modern smartphones have Wi-Fi and USB interfaces. Slightly less common are Bluetooth and IRDA. Wi-Fi is used to connect to the internet. USB is used to connect your phone to a computer. Many phones also have Bluetooth. It is used to connect wireless headphones, to connect the phone to wireless speakers, and to transfer files. A smartphone equipped with an IRDA interface can be used as a universal remote control. Glossary for the category Mobile Phones

Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, USB, ANT+, NFC satellite navigation

Built-in GPS and GLONASS modules allow you to determine the phone's coordinates from satellite signals. In the absence of GPS, a modern smartphone can determine its own location based on signals from the base stations of a mobile operator. However, finding coordinates from satellite signals is usually much more accurate. Glossary for the category Mobile Phones

GPS/GLONASS A-GPS system yes DLNA support yes

Memory and processor

CPU

IN modern phones and smartphones usually use special processors - SoC (System on Chip, system on a chip), which, in addition to the processor itself, houses the graphics core, memory controller, I / O device controller, etc. Therefore, the processor largely determines the set of functions and performance of the device .Glossary of terms for category Mobile phones

Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974, 2200 MHz Number of processor cores 4 Video processor Adreno 330 Built-in memory 16 GB RAM 2 GB Memory card slot Yes, up to 64 GB

Nutrition

Battery capacity 2300 mAh Talk time 10 h Standby time 670 h Music listening time

Mal, yes daring! Detailed testing of the new Japanese mini-flagship

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is one of those products that gains a lot of popularity and fans even before they hit the market. In the situation with the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, the reason for this was the unusual shortage of smartphones of a certain kind, which has recently developed in the global mobile market. The fact is that in the past few years, which have passed under the slogan “faster, higher, stronger”, it has become almost impossible to find a top-end, powerful and maximally equipped with the fruits of all the latest technological achievements, while remaining small, comfortable sizes - such what users remember their very first smartphones at the dawn of touch screens. Along with the resolution and gigahertz, the cases of top-end smartphones have grown in recent years, increasing in size to such a size that they received the popular nickname “shovels”. Perhaps one of the reasons for such a frenzied popularity of the Apple iPhone is that it is now practically the only smartphone of the highest category, stuffed to the maximum with all technical innovations, but at the same time remaining much smaller, thinner and lighter than its top "shovel" counterparts. For everyone else, the small size of a smartphone has now become synonymous with weak hardware stuffing, cheapness and general technical backwardness of the device: the most high-status, “fancy”, powerful and productive smartphones are now made exclusively in huge sizes, which most users have already become accustomed to.

Now we are not talking about the fact that all buyers, without exception, experience such a sad feeling of hopelessness - of course, many five-six-inch tablet phones just liked it: it was not for nothing that, in the end, it was they who eventually “captured” the world. However, the camp of those who continue to shovel reviews of mobile equipment in a vain attempt to find a small but powerful and productive smartphone for themselves is still not so small (after all, not everyone loves Apple products). "Mini" versions do not count: over the past year, we have tested almost all variants of top-end smartphones with the Mini prefix in the name, from various manufacturers, from Samsung and HTC to ZTE, and they all showed the absolute illegality of using this prefix, which, by definition, is supposed to reduced copies of top flagship devices. That is, everything in them should be exactly the same, but the device itself should be smaller. Meanwhile, in none of the mini-versions that have entered the market, you can find anything in common with real top-end flagships, except perhaps for the similarity of external features (and even then not always) - but it is not the appearance that determines whether the model belongs to the class, but the combination of technical and hardware characteristics. Apparently, in order not to put such a unique model on a par with these "mini-tricks", Sony decided not to call its mini-version of the flagship the same as other manufacturers, but to call it Sony Xperia Z1 Compact.

As a result, we have before us one of the most interesting devices of our time, which can offer users the highest hardware performance, coupled with maximum technical equipment, while remaining a fairly miniature device that is comfortable for the human hand. Without taking into account the Apple iPhone and the Chinese “zoo” (where you can stumble upon anything), the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact has almost nothing to compare directly with, because rivals from the top segment, with which the novelty could compete in terms of specifications, have completely different dimensions and screen sizes, and those that are suitable in size fall short in terms of technical and hardware equipment.

Key Features of Sony Xperia Z1 Compact (Model D5503)

	Sony Xperia Z1 Compact	Sony Xperia Z1	ZTE nubia Z5 mini	Yotaphone	Google Nexus 5
Screen	4.3" IPS	5″ ASV?	4.7" IPS	4.3" IPS	4.95" IPS
Permission	1280×720, 341 ppi	1920×1080, 440ppi	1280×720, 312 ppi	1280×720, 341 ppi	1920×1080, 445ppi
SoC		Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 @2.2GHz (4x Krait 400 cores)	Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro @1.5 GHz (4 Krait cores)	Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro @1.7 GHz (2 Krait cores)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 @2.2GHz (4x Krait 400 cores)
GPU	Adreno 330	Adreno 330	Adreno 320	Adreno 320	Adreno 330
RAM	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB
Flash memory	16 GB	16 GB	16 GB	32 GB	16/32 GB
Memory card support	microSD	microSD	microSD	No	No
Operating system	Google Android 4.3	Google Android 4.2	Google Android 4.2	Google Android 4.2	Google Android 4.4
Battery	non-removable, 2300 mAh	non-removable, 3000 mAh	non-removable, 2300 mAh	non-removable, 1800 mAh	non-removable, 2300 mAh
cameras		rear (20.7 MP; video - 1080p), front (2 MP)	rear (13 MP; video - 1080p), front (5 MP)	rear (13 MP; video - 1080p), front (1 MP)	rear (8 MP; video - 1080p), front (1.3 MP)
Dimensions	127×65×9.5mm, 137g	144×74×8.5mm, 170g	135×66×10.3mm, 162g	134×67×10.0mm, 146g	138×69×8.6mm, 130g
Average price (per 16 GB version)	T-10624078	T-10491965	T-10623493	T-10603033	T-10564185
Sony Xperia Z1 Compact offers	L-10624078-10

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974), 2.2 GHz, 4 Krait 400 cores
• GPU Adreno 330
• operating room android system 4.3 Jelly Beans
• Touchscreen display IPS, 4.3″, 1280×720, 341 ppi, Triluminos
• RAM(RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 16 GB
• microSD card support (up to 64 GB, SDXC support)
• GSM communication GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
• Communication 3G UMTS HSPA+ 850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz
• Communication 4G LTE 800, 850, 900, 1800, 2100, 2600 MHz (2600/800 FDD are used on the territory of the Russian Federation)
• Bluetooth 4.0 A2DP, EDR
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot WiFi access, DLNA, Miracast
• NFC, MHL, OTG
• GPS/Glonass
• Dust / moisture protection (standards IP55 / IP58)
• Camera 20.7 MP (matrix "Exmor RS for mobile"), autofocus
• 2MP camera (Exmor R sensor), 1080p video recording (front)
• Battery 2300 mAh
• Dimensions 127×64.9×9.5 mm
• Weight 137 g

Contents of delivery

Smartphone Sony Xperia Z1 Compact comes on sale in a fairly simple in appearance, which has already become classic for the latest Sony smartphones, flat and square packaging made of thin unvarnished cardboard with several compartments inside. The bundle is standard: a powerful charger (1.5 A), a connecting cable, good headphones with vacuum-type gel tips (MH750) and a thick pack of paper documentation. By the way, this smartphone, like other top Sony models, supports the so-called “fast” charging, when literally in half an hour spent at the outlet, the phone charges so much that it can then hold out for an hour in talk mode.

Appearance and usability

His appearance new Sony fully complies with the proprietary design concept called OmniBalance with symmetrical side panels and rounded corners of the side frame, repeating the appearance of the popular Xperia Z1 and Z Ultra models, adjusted only for size. The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact has exactly the same powerful and at the same time elegant side frame made of real metal - double-anodized aluminum, and forms an all-metal frame for the entire device. At the same time, the front and rear panels are entirely made of impact-resistant glass, covered on top with a protective film that protects the glass from scratches and chips. All this together looks very stylish and expensive - the presence of metal and glass, as well as the complete absence of plastic, gives the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact smartphone the look of a status and expensive thing.

In the hand, due to the small size, well-chosen thickness and weight of the case, as well as the rough surface of the metal bevels of the side frame, the smartphone is comfortable and held securely. The assembly of parts is very high quality: no squeaks or rattles can be heard here - all parts fit perfectly to each other, the body of the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is a monoblock solution without any sliding mechanisms or removable parts.

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact does not have a removable back cover - all card slots are located on the sides of the device. The memory card and SIM card are inserted into the side slots in the usual ways: when you press the memory card, it is captured by a spring-loaded mechanism, and the SIM card slides into its slot on a plastic retractable tray. This method Sony's SIM card mount is the most convenient of all the other side mount options, because to remove the card there is no need to resort to any additional tools like a paper clip or tweezers - the plastic tray has a convenient ledge for grabbing with a fingernail and slides out without the slightest effort. The SIM card is used here in the Micro-SIM format, the memory card is in the microSD format, cards up to 64 GB are supported.

All slots are covered from the outside with protective caps, outwardly made to match the metal rim itself - they themselves are metal, and do not catch the eye. Covers perform not only decorative, but also protective functions: Xperia model The Z1 Compact, like most other top-end smartphones in the Sony Xperia line, is officially certified to IP55 and IP58 dust and water resistance standards.

When all ports and covers are securely closed, this smartphone is IP55-rated against low-pressure water jets from all directions and/or can be submerged in 1.5 meters of fresh water for up to 30 minutes in accordance with IP58 rating.

Our testing confirmed that the smartphone is not only impermeable to water, but also perfectly controlled with wet fingers - as long as the screen is not completely submerged in water. Plus, due to the presence of a dedicated hardware camera control key, a smartphone can be used as a camera for shooting underwater.

There are a total of three covers here, they cover all slots and connectors except for the headphone audio output - it is now not protected from water by anything, but thanks to new technologies, water will not be able to damage the contacts inside.

Pretty little things like shiny metal rings framing the audio-out jack and camera window, buttons, protective connector covers and speaker grilles made of real metal give top-end Sony smartphones a stylish and more expensive look, thanks to which a really high-status item compares favorably with the usual consumer goods. crafts.

The ringing speaker grille is not displayed on back panel, but on the bottom end, which eliminates the sound overlapping with the table surface when the smartphone is “on its back”. In addition to a technically competent arrangement, this grille is also a very nice decor element that adds beauty and complexity to the overall appearance of the device.

On the left side face there is an open contact group for connecting to the docking station connector - such an element is found in many modern Sony smartphones. This option of daily recharging the phone is convenient for those who do not want to open and close the cover of the Micro-USB connector every day. True, the stand will have to be purchased separately - the DK32 docking station is not included in the standard package of the device.

It is also worth noting the dedicated hardware camera control key: this is convenient for shooting with gloves on in cold weather, although, however, the screen of the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is also sensitive to control when wearing gloves (the function can be turned off manually in the corresponding settings menu). But shooting under water by touching the screen with your fingers is impossible, so in such a situation you cannot do without a separate mechanical button.

Next to the photo button in the immediate vicinity is the power and lock key - this shiny silver metal round has already become the hallmark of Sony mobile phones. The lock button is located at a distance of 50 mm from the upper end of the device case, and the two-position volume rocker located near it is at a distance of 55 mm from the bottom, the total length of the case is 127 mm.

The landscape of the rear surface is made up of familiar elements: a round camera window, framed by a shiny metal rim, and a single-section LED flash. All this is done flush with the flat glass of the rear surface, it looks strict and expensive. True, you will have to clean the glass surface from fingerprints from time to time, but what to do - beauty requires sacrifice.

The entire front panel is entirely covered with protective shock-resistant glass, with a special transparent film pasted on top, which protects the glass from chips and damage. The film is glued in the factory, its removal is not provided - at least as a result, the corporate silver Sony logo flaunting on the front of the smartphone will disappear. And in general, this film is removed with great difficulty, so it’s absolutely not worth doing this without special need.

The front camera window and sensor eyes are hidden under glass in the upper part above the screen next to the logo, but there is nothing at all below. The usual hardware control buttons under the screen have long moved in all Sony smartphones to the display itself in the form of Android 4.x software icons, so there is not much space left under the screen - only so that you can grab your fingers.

Sometimes Sony developers place an event indicator light here, but in this model it is placed not from below, but from above, right under the elongated speaker grille, which is illuminated from the inside in different colors, reacting to various events, from incoming messages to charging status.

Micro-USB connector supports connection mode here external devices OTG (USB Host), so that you can not only connect a keyboard or mouse to your smartphone, but also read and play any files from a flash drive connected directly to it, be it photos, music or movies.

And one more thing: nice holes in the lower right corner of the case are nothing more than a hook for attaching a cord to a hand or a keychain baubles. A convenient solution, without which in the past not a single mobile phone could do, but which now for some reason all smartphones, with the exception of Sony devices, have lost.

As for the color options, this time around Sony decided to ditch the now-familiar complementary purple in favor of two new colors in the lineup: pink (Pink) and yellow (Lime).

In this way new smartphone Sony Xperia Z1 Compact will be offered in four color versions: black, white, pink and yellow-lemon. The new colors bring a fresh air and bright colors to the color spectrum of the Japanese company's smartphones. The modifications have no technical differences - all metal side bezels and buttons are painted in the same color as the case, and the front panel under the glass always remains the same black.

Screen

Smartphone Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is equipped with an IPS sensor matrix with the brand name Triluminos, in bright sunlight the screen remains readable. The physical dimensions of the display are 53 × 95 mm, the diagonal is 4.3 inches. The screen resolution in pixels is 1280 × 720 (HD), the density of dots per inch reaches a value of 341 ppi.

The brightness of the display has both manual and automatic adjustment, the latter based on the operation of the light sensor. The smartphone also has a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. Multi-touch technology allows you to handle eight simultaneous touches. The screen of the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact smartphone is sensitive to touch with gloves, as well as wet fingers, making the device applicable in almost any situation.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" sections Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.

The screen of the smartphone is covered with a glass plate, on which a plastic mirror-smooth protective film is glued by the factory, which is relatively resistant to scratches, but still less hard than inorganic glass. As a result, after some time of operation, the screen is necessarily covered with scratches. However, most likely, with some diligence, this film can be separated and replaced with a new, compatible one. The factory protective film has quite pronounced oleophobic (grease-repellent) properties (but in Google Nexus 7 (2013) - we will compare it with it below - the oleophobic coating is slightly more effective), so fingerprints are removed more easily, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass. Judging by the reflection of objects, there is an effective anti-glare filter, which, in terms of reducing the brightness of the reflection, is no worse than that of the Nexus 7. For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the off screens (on the left is Nexus 7, on the right is Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, below they can be distinguished by size):

At a glance, the darkness of the screens is the same, which is confirmed by the statistics from graphic editor- the differences are negligible, that is, both screens reduce the reflection brightness approximately the same. The ghosting of reflected objects in the Z1 Compact screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the screen layers.

With manual brightness control and with a white field displayed in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 460 cd/m², the minimum was 32 cd/m². The maximum brightness is high, which means that, given the effective anti-glare filter, readability even on a sunny day outdoors should be at a good level. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. There is an automatic brightness control according to the light sensor (it is located in the upper left corner on the front panel). This function depends on the position of the brightness slider. If it is set to 100%, then in complete darkness, the automatic brightness adjustment function reduces the brightness to 96 cd / m² (not excessively bright, but it could have been lower), in an office lit by artificial light (about 400 lux), the brightness rises to 195 cd /m² (acceptable), in a very bright environment (corresponding to a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) is set to 470 cd/m² (this is the maximum that should be expected). If you set the brightness slider to 50%, the values ​​are as follows: 60, 120 and 470 cd / m², if at 0% - 18, 40 and 460 cd / m². In general, the operation of the automatic brightness adjustment function does not cause any complaints, everything is perfect. There is some backlight modulation, but its amplitude is relatively small, and the frequency is about 34 kHz, so the screen flicker cannot be visually seen and the presence of such modulation cannot affect the comfort of working with this device.

This screen uses an IPS type matrix. On microphotos, you can see the typical IPS structure of subpixels in the form of parallel stripes:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift and without hue inversion even at large deviations from the perpendicular to the screen. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of the same two devices, while the brightness of the screens is set to approximately 200 cd / m². Perpendicular to the screens test picture:

It can be seen that the color reproduction is slightly different (when photographing, the color balance is forcibly set to 6500 K), but this is the only reasonable conclusion that can be drawn from the photo. And the white box:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone. Now at an angle of about 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors did not “float” on both screens, but in the case of Sony, the contrast at an angle has noticeably decreased. Then a white box:

The brightness at an angle at the screens has decreased (at least 4 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of the Z1 Compact, the brightness drop is slightly less than that of the Nexus 7 (brightness in photographs 234 vs. 228). The black field, when deviated diagonally, is highlighted strongly, but remains almost neutral gray. The photo below shows this (the brightness of the white areas in the perpendicular direction is the same for the screens!):

When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is almost perfect:

Contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is relatively high - about 930:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 22 ms (14 ms on + 8 ms off). The transition between grayscale 25% and 75% (according to the numerical value of the color) and back in total takes 33 ms. The gamma curve constructed from 32 points did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows, and the exponent of the approximating power function is 2.28, which is close to the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve deviates from the power dependence:

Due to the presence of aggressive dynamic adjustment of the brightness of the backlight in accordance with the nature of the displayed image (brightness tends to increase in light images, and decrease in dark images) and over time, the obtained dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image , since the measurements were carried out with a sequential output of shades of gray on the entire screen. For this reason, we carried out a number of tests - determining the contrast and response time, comparing black flare at angles - we carried out when displaying special patterns, rather than full-screen solid-color fields.

The color gamut is slightly wider than sRGB:

Apparently, the components are well separated and the spectra confirm this:

Note that the color saturation is moderate, visually the colors are slightly brighter, but not yet so oversaturated that color images seem distorted. The color balance is somewhat imperfect, since the deviation from the black body spectrum (ΔE) is not very large and the color temperature of the white point is close to the standard value of 6500 K, but the color temperature changes noticeably as the brightness of the grayscale decreases, which negatively affects the visual assessment of color balance. (The dark areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance is not of great importance there, and the measurement error of color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

You can try to improve the color balance, as in this smartphone It is possible to adjust the intensity of the three primary colors:

The result of such a correction is shown on a gray scale. After several iterations, we considered an increase in red intensity by 50 units as the optimal adjustment. The result of such a correction is shown in the charts above (points Corr.). It can be seen that this correction slightly improved the color balance, since the color temperature became closer to the standard 6500 K, and ΔE rather decreased on average.

In addition, in the screen settings, you can turn on the proprietary image enhancement function. X-Reality for mobile. The screen shots above were taken when this feature was disabled (the stock photo viewer was used), in addition, here is a photo with a test image and with the Nexus 7 screen for comparison:

You can notice that even with the “enhancement” function turned off, the color saturation is slightly increased. And two photos when this feature is activated. Test pattern:

Areas with solid fills without gradations have increased slightly - the saturation has increased, and the test photo:

It can be seen that X-Reality for mobile increases contrast, contour sharpness and saturation.

The screen has a high maximum brightness and an effective anti-glare filter, so the smartphone can be used without much difficulty even outdoors on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. It is permissible to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works absolutely adequately. The advantages of the screen also include good oleophobic properties of the outer surface, the absence of an air gap in the layers of the screen and flicker, excellent black field uniformity, high contrast ratio, color gamut close to sRGB and good color balance with the possibility of correction. Significant disadvantages are the low stability of black to the deviation of the gaze from the perpendicular to the screen plane. Of the features, we note the traditional for mobile devices from this manufacturer the use of a plastic film as the outer cover of the screen. In general, the screen quality is very high.

Sound

There are no particular distortions in the auditory dynamics of the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact smartphone, the voice of a familiar interlocutor, intonations and timbre are well recognizable, but it still sounds muffled. The call speaker sounds just as muffled and not too loud - obviously, the waterproofness of the membranes that protect the speakers from water affects. The interlocutors on the other end also note slight sound distortion during a telephone conversation - and this is already a claim to the microphone. Let's repeat that the ringing speaker grille is cut into the bottom end of the device, so that the sound will not be blocked by the surface when the phone is on the table.

In terms of software, the Xperia Z1 Сompact sound subsystem is equipped in the same way as any other modern Sony smartphone. The regular audio player, traditionally called Walkman, is rich in settings and additional software sound enhancements, such as a built-in equalizer with a lot of preset values ​​​​(you can set your own), Clear Phase, xLoud or virtual surround sound technologies. Management of most settings is available if the complex ClearAudio + function is turned off, otherwise all settings are left to the machine.

Camera

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is equipped with the same two digital camera modules as the Sony Xperia Z1. The front camera here is equipped with a 2-megapixel module, shoots with a resolution of 1920 × 1080, the quality of the resulting photos can be judged by the test shot below.

The rear 20.7-megapixel main camera is equipped with a G-series lens with a focal length of 27mm and an aperture of F2.0. The camera uses a 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS for mobile sensor and a Bionz for mobile processor.

By default, the cameras of all Sony devices work as standard in the so-called super auto mode (iauto) with a wide aspect ratio, but you can switch shooting to manual settings. It is noteworthy that when you use the hardware button on the side of the device to quickly turn on the camera, it always activates it only in automatic shooting mode, even if the manual setting mode was previously enabled. If you start the camera application by clicking on the icon on the display, then in this case everything goes as usual, and the camera leaves the previous settings intact, that is, it starts in manual mode, if it was set earlier. Note that there is a big difference between automatic and manual modes, because the maximum resolution can only be set in manual adjustment mode.

In addition to automatic and manual modes shooting, the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact camera software has a few more interesting additional features. The Info-Eye mode, for example, substitutes contextual information for an object in the frame using augmented reality technology; in Time Shift Burst mode, the camera takes up to 61 shots two seconds before pressing the shutter button, from which you can then choose the best one. The Social live function allows you to upload footage directly to Facebook and view comments on them on the smartphone screen. The most unexpected was an entertaining application called AR effect, which makes it possible to combine pictures with animation using SmartAR proprietary augmented reality technology.

Examples of photos with comments on quality are below.

	Only the central part of the image is sharp. In other areas, sharpness drops noticeably, especially towards the edges.
	Since the focus is in the background, everything looks sharp enough, except for the edges.
	The areas of sharpness are somehow strangely scattered around the frame: the corner of the house and the back are quite sharp, and the middle part is blurry for some reason.
	On the 8-megapixel version of a similar shot, the sharpness is slightly better. In general, the focus is on the end of the house, while in other areas the sharpness is still walking, but less.
	The camera may have trouble focusing at infinity. Although it's more like focusing on the foreground and in the center of the frame.
	Good sharpness in the central part, and on all plans, but at the edges everything is bad.
	At first glance, the picture looks good, and even the blur zones are not striking. But upon closer inspection, the focus is again noticeable only on the central part and in the foreground.
	The macro works well enough for the camera, but it does not show anything outstanding.
	Macro in low light (1/50 s, ISO 800) works well for the camera. By reducing the resolution, noise reduction is well smoothed out.
	The flash helps a lot with macro photography.
	The text as a whole worked out well, but it upsets a strong drop in sharpness at the edges.
	The flash improves things a bit.

	Lighting ≈3200 lux. In good lighting, the camera does a good job. Mira, located slightly to the left of center, is the clearest.
	Lighting ≈1400 lux. With sharpness, the situation is still the same.
	Lighting ≈130 lux. The camera handles noise well.
	Lighting ≈130 lux, flash. The flash almost does not change the situation, only allows you to slightly reduce the photosensitivity.
	Lighting<1 люкс. В темноте камера практически не справляется — из-за обилия программной обработки объекты нерезкие. В отличие от снимка 8 Мп, снимок 20 Мп практически не имеет деталей — он очень темный.
	Lighting<1 люкс, вспышка. В темноте вспышка помогает очень слабо.

With the Xperia Z1 smartphone featuring a 1/2.3″ camera sensor, Sony may have chosen to follow Nokia's path with its PureView technology. Nokia subsequently came to the 1 / 2.5 ″ format sensor in the Lumia 1520 smartphone, which did not degrade the quality of the pictures so much. As we already wrote, the Xperia Z1 camera looked damp and didn't really stand out. Has Sony managed to achieve the desired result with the Xperia Z1 Compact smartphone?

If you look at the "naked" numbers, then from the pictures of the stand we can say that 20 megapixels of the "Manual" mode and 8 megapixels of the "Superauto" mode differ quite strongly in resolution - about the same as the pictures of the Nokia Lumia 1520 in the 20 megapixel and 8 MP The 20 MP shots of the Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z1 Compact are also noticeably different from each other, which suggests a significant improvement in the smartphone's camera compared to its predecessor.

However, at the same time, the camera has many disadvantages. If the Lumia 1520 shots still looked like shots of a good compact, then this cannot be said in the case of the Xperia Z1 Compact. First of all, the problem with optics, which “does not stretch” the edges of the pictures, catches the eye. Sometimes this phenomenon is so pronounced that only the center of the frame is really sharp. Sometimes there is a feeling that the sharpness in the distant plans drops due to the shallow depth of field, especially when the objects in focus are located in the foreground. But this hypothesis does not justify the poor sharpness at the edges of the image.

As a result, the camera has a second problem - software processing. Due to poor sharpness in areas in which it would seem to be good, awkward sharpening comes out. Together with noise reduction, which is quite noticeable in 20 megapixel images, this gives a not very pleasant picture. Of course, in 8 megapixel shots, noise reduction is smoothed out, but for some reason sharpening becomes more noticeable, and blur zones remain.

Even capturing text, the camera fails poorly - mainly, of course, due to poor sharpness at the edges. There is no need to talk about the depth of field here, since so far any smartphone has coped with such scenes. Macro photography is not so bad for the camera, but there is nothing outstanding in it. The camera performs especially well in low light and high ISO settings. Although there is nothing particularly tricky here: the noise reduction processes individual pixels, the size of which is quite small due to their large number, and when the resolution is reduced, the grain resulting from the operation of the noise reduction is simply smoothed out. But the macro shots of 20 megapixels look pretty decent.

The camera has a rather weak flash. In addition to a small angle, it also has a small power and, as can be seen from the graph, it practically does not improve the situation in poor lighting.

In light of all that has been said, calling the Xperia Z1 Compact a camera phone will not work. Perhaps the whole point is the marriage of a particular sample, and then the camera can turn out to be quite good. If it's not about marriage, then it remains to be hoped that Sony will still reach the level of Nokia Lumia 1520 shots in their future smartphones.

Both cameras can shoot video in Full HD-resolution 1080p. Below are a couple of test videos shot on the main, rear camera. Clips are saved in MP4 (Video: MPEG4 Video (H.264) 1920×1080 29.75 fps 17.5 Mbps; Audio: AAC 48 kHz stereo 128 Kbps).

• Movie #1 (51.1 MB, 1920×1080)
• Movie #2 (33.1 MB, 1920×1080)

Telephone part and communications

The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and there is also support for the fourth generation networks (LTE) used in Russia. With the SIM card of the domestic operator Megafon, the smartphone in practice confidently finds and works with the LTE network. Of the additional network features, there is support for the second Wi-Fi band (5 GHz) and NFC technology. The external device connection mode (USB Host, OTG) is supported here, so any flash drives connected to the Micro-USB port, as well as mice with keyboards, are perfectly recognized. The navigation module supports both GPS and domestic Glonass. The navigation module works very clearly and quickly - the first satellites begin to be "caught" in a matter of seconds, even after the first cold start.

Spontaneous reboots / shutdowns during testing were not observed, as well as slowdowns or system freezes. When brought to the ear, the screen is blocked by the proximity sensor. The ambient light sensor controls the brightness level of the screen automatically. The LED sensor at the top of the front panel serves to alert you to charging status and incoming events. I didn't really like the new way of connecting the device to a PC: now every time you need to call the context menu and confirm your intentions, otherwise all internal folders in the phone's memory displayed in the PC file manager will be empty. This is clearly some kind of flaw in the new software related to MTP connection drivers, and it would be nice if this problem was solved in future firmware. Otherwise, users have to confirm the installation of the same driver every time they connect their smartphone via USB - at least this is the case with not the most recent Microsoft Windows 7 OS.

Drawing letters and numbers on virtual keyboards is quite comfortable to control. The layout and layout of the keys is standard: switching languages ​​here is done by pressing a special button with the image of a globe, there is no dedicated top row with numbers - you have to switch the layout every time. It is curious that even in such a small device, the virtual keyboard was equipped with the ability to “press” the keys closer to one or the other side, so that it would be easier to reach with the fingers of one hand - this is called here “Keyboard for one hand” - a typical functionality of top modern devices with large diagonals. Naturally, there is also the possibility of continuous writing by sliding a finger from letter to letter - Swype. The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing a phone number, a search is immediately carried out by the first letters in contacts. A very convenient functionality that you instantly get used to, but which is sometimes absent initially in some smartphones, Apple iPhone, for example, or Meizu MX3.

OS and software

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is currently running on the Google Android software platform version 4.3. On top of the standard OS interface, the company installed its own user interface, which significantly modifies and supplements the standard one. The main distinguishing feature of the program menu is ample opportunities for sorting, selecting and working with icons of installed applications. To work with them, even a whole contextual panel has appeared here, which slides out on the left with a side swipe. In it, you can search by category, set your own, arbitrary arrangement of icons, or sort in several preset ways. It is very convenient that right here you can remove any application without having to go to a special section of the main menu - a functionality that partially replaces the file manager. Naturally, the ability to create folders is supported, but for this you need to contain icons in the “custom order” mode, otherwise all applications sorted into folders will again be distributed across desktops, in alphabetical order, for example.

In terms of pre-installed applications in the smartphone, everything is almost the same as in other modern Sony devices. The set of pre-installed programs in the smartphones of the Japanese company does not change too noticeably from handset to handset. Several online services such as TrackID, Movies, PlayNow offer to choose, buy and immediately launch music, movies and games. Timescape collects information about the social activity of friends. There is a pre-installed file manager, a package for working with office documents, there was also a QR code scanner and a popular note-taking program, Evernote. Sony always preinstalls a useful program for a full backup and restore of both settings and other data.

When you select a program under the curious name "Sketch", a set of tools for drawing and handwriting appears. Here you can select brushes, paints, colors, line weights, textures, etc. Functionality reminiscent of that of the famous stylus-oriented Samsung Galaxy Note, only much more modest in terms of capabilities, and here fast recording of long texts is impossible due to the delay (lag) between touching and the appearance of a dash on the screen. In this program, you can only slowly draw something, pick up a collage from ready-made elements, or scribble a couple of phrases of text, but they will not be too legible.

Performance

The hardware platform of the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is based on one of the most powerful mobile platforms today - the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 single-chip system (SoC). The central processor here has 4 Krait 400 cores operating at a frequency of 2.2 GHz (CPU-Z shows 2 .15 GHz). The device has 2 GB of RAM, and the storage available to the user to download their own files is just over 11 GB of the nominally designated 16 GB. There is support for microSD memory cards up to 64 GB, so the user will not feel a lack of memory. The graphics processor is supported by the most modern Adreno 330 video accelerator. In addition, the device supports external flash drives (OTG) connection mode, so that files can be opened and viewed directly from a flash drive connected to it through a special adapter.

To get an idea of ​​the platform performance of the tested smartphone, let's run a standard set of tests.

For convenience, we have summarized all the results obtained by us when testing a smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks in tables. Several other devices from different segments are usually added to the table, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry numbers). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison, it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” due to the fact that they once passed their “obstacle courses” on previous versions of test programs.

The results obtained during testing quite naturally confirmed the very high performance of the new product, similar to the performance of other top flagship models of our time built on the same platform. The smartphone is very powerful, its capabilities will be more than enough for a long time to perform any of the most difficult tasks that you can think of for a mobile gadget.

Test results in MobileXPRT, as well as the latest versions of AnTuTu 4.x and GeekBench 3

When testing the graphics subsystem in the cross-platform 3DMark test for the most productive smartphones, it is now possible to run 3DMark in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause speeds to rise above 60 fps).

The results of testing the graphics subsystem in the game test Epic Citadel. It is worth noting here that in the most difficult mode of Epic Citadel, Ultra High Quality, the test subject proved to be very worthy, practically not worsening his results, which are almost the maximum possible for these tests.

As for benchmarks for evaluating the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowances for the fact that the results in them depend significantly on the browser in which they are launched, so that the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this possibility is available when testing not always. In the case of Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

Video playback

To test the "omnivorous" when playing video (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, do not expect everything from a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single table.

Format	container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Regular video player
DVDRip	AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	not playable
Web-DL SD	AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	not playable
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280x720 3000Kbps, AC3
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280x720 4000Kbps, AC3	plays fine with h/w+ decoder	Video plays fine, no sound¹
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920x1080 8000Kbps, AC3	plays fine with h/w+ decoder	Video plays fine, no sound¹

¹ Audio in MX Video Player only played after switching to software decoding or Hardware+; The regular player does not have such a setting.

Additionally, the MHL interface was tested. To test it, we used the LG IPS237L monitor, which supports direct MHL connection using a passive micro-USB to HDMI adapter cable.

Output via MHL is carried out in a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels at a frequency of 30 fps. With an active MHL connection, regardless of the actual orientation of the smartphone, the image on the screens of the smartphone and monitor is displayed in landscape orientation (and only in the orientation with the micro-USB connector at the bottom relative to the image on the screen of the smartphone itself).

In this case, the actual resolution is equal to the resolution of the smartphone screen - 1280 by 720 pixels. We found only one exception - the lock screen is displayed in portrait orientation, while the picture on the monitor is inscribed in height (of course, with a reduced resolution), and black fields are displayed on the sides. In addition, if the zoom setting is not set to 100%, then the picture on the monitor screen is slightly reduced, which also leads to a decrease in resolution, and black fields are displayed around the perimeter. By default, the value of this setting is 95% - we don’t understand why this is so, because the non-switchable image magnification (overscan) remains only in some models of extremely cheap TVs.

With an active MHL connection, it is possible to use the TV remote control to control your smartphone - the built-in help on three pages lists the remote control buttons and their functions. However, we suspect that the implementation of this functionality requires connection to TVs exclusively from Sony.

The sound is output via MHL (in this case, the sounds were heard through the headphones connected to the monitor, since there are no speakers in the monitor itself) and has a good quality. At the same time, at least, multimedia sounds are not output through the loudspeaker of the smartphone itself, and the volume is not adjusted using the buttons on the smartphone body - it is only turned on / off. The smartphone connected via MHL is charging.

Video output via MHL deserves a special description. To begin with, using a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see "Methods for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)"), we checked how the video is displayed on the screen of the smartphone itself. Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output frames of video files with different parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps). In tests, we used a regular video player. The test results are summarized in a table (a block entitled "Smartphone screen"):

File	Uniformity	Passes
Smartphone screen
4K/30p	Okay	No
4K/25p	Okay	No
4K/24p	Okay	No

Note: If both columns Uniformity And Passes green ratings are set, this means that, most likely, when watching movies, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and dropping frames will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with the playback of the respective files.

In terms of frame output, the quality of video playback is good (except for files with 50 and 60 fps), the smartphone can even display 4K video files (3840 by 2160 pixels). However, note that uniform frame interleaving is a relatively unstable state, since some external and internal background processes lead to periodic failure of the correct interleaving of intervals between frames (or groups of frames) or even to the skipping of individual frames. When playing 720p video files (with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed one-on-one, exactly along the border of the screen in true 720p resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen almost corresponds to the standard video range - there is a slight blockage in the shadows, but all gradations of shades are displayed in the highlights (for video in the range of 16-235).

When playing video files with Full HD resolution (1920 by 1080 pixels), the image of the video file itself is displayed on the screen of a monitor connected via MHL one-on-one, exactly along the border of the screen in true Full HD resolution. The brightness range displayed on the monitor exactly corresponds to the standard video range - all gradations of shades are displayed in the shadows and highlights (for video in the range of 16-235). The results of tests for frame output uniformity are shown in the table above in the "MHL (monitor output)" block. With the exception of files with 50 and 60 fps, where some frames are naturally skipped, the output quality is good.

As a result, an MHL connection can be used for watching movies, web browsing and other activities that benefit from a multiple increase in screen size. Playing dynamic games on an external monitor is probably better with an MHL adapter, since it will most likely output in 720p mode, that is, with a lower resolution, but with a frame rate of 60 fps, which is for most the game is more important.

Battery life

The capacity of the lithium-ion battery installed in the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is 2300 mAh. This is not the largest smartphone battery to date, however, the test subject showed excellent battery life results, largely due to the not too large screen area.

	Battery capacity	Reading mode	Video mode	3D game mode
Sony Xperia Z1 Compact	2300 mAh	25h00	11:05 am	5:30 a.m.
ZTE nubia Z5 mini	2300 mAh	11:05 am	8 a.m.	3h 50m
Nexus 5	2300 mAh	22h 10m	5:05 a.m.	3h 45m
Meizu MX3	2400 mAh	13h 20m	8 a.m.	4h 25m
LG G2	3000 mAh	20:00	12:30 pm	4h 45m
Sony Xperia Z1	3000 mAh	11:45 a.m.	8 a.m.	4h 30m
ZTE nubia Z5	2300 mAh	9 a.m.	6h 40m	3 a.m.
HTC One	2300 mAh	14h 15m	7h 25m	2h 14m

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at the minimum comfortable brightness level (the brightness was set to 100 cd / m²) lasted 25 hours until the battery was completely discharged. With continuous viewing of YouTube videos in high quality (HQ) with the same brightness level through a home Wi-Fi network, the device lasted 11 hours, and in 3D gaming mode - about 5.5 hours.

Outcome

Pros of the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact:

• chic appearance
• quality assembly
• expensive manufacturing materials
• comfortable dimensions
• highest performance
• memory card support
• good speaker placement
• availability of OTG
• support for wet finger and gloved input
• protection against water and dirt
• decent battery life
• strap attachment available

As for the minuses, there were no serious shortcomings in the device. As relative disadvantages, one can mention not the best sound quality of the speakers, as well as not the ideal quality of photography, but this is only when compared with the reference Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Apple iPhone. Either way, the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is a unique smartphone. At the same time, powerful and miniature, with serious protection against adverse external conditions, but having the appearance of a stylish, expensive and high-status thing, while also having a full set of slots and connectors that are typical for Android-based devices. Its creators did not have to sacrifice one thing at the expense of the other in order to fit all the components in a small case. For this unique combination of most features, the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact smartphone receives an award from the editors of the site.

The conclusion that suggests itself after testing the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact smartphone is very simple: those who love beautiful, expensive, status, high-quality and miniature things simply cannot pass by the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. Provided, of course, that he is not yet the owner of the Apple iPhone, or for some reason he is already disappointed in him. And the point is not only that the new Sony smartphone is a unique combination of the most powerful hardware stuffing at the moment with the minimum body size - we have already written enough about this at the very beginning of the article. But this is also mixed with an important aesthetic part of the issue: after all, with all the listed unique features, the new device is simply a very beautiful, expensive, high-quality thing, which not only looks expensive and status in every hands, approaching anyone, even the most expensive wardrobe, but is also the legitimate bearer of that invisible particle called "Sony Style", and this is almost a religion. And, as you know, people spare no money for religious attributes, so the purchase price in this case, as in the case of Apple products, is not the main thing. Moreover, in everything else there is practically nothing to complain about here. Bravo Sony!