Sony has just announced the Xperia Z1 – the phone formerly known as ‘Honami’. The phone comes in a unibody aluminum shell in black, white and purple and is heavily focused on imaging. The phone contains a 20.7MP camera behind a G Lens which Sony has advised will have zero loss of clarity. The phone will be fully waterproof and dustproof, carrying an IP55 & IP58.
Specs for the Xperia Z1 are as leaked this morning :
- 5-inch 1920×1080 (441 ppi) TFT, Triluminous, X-Reality Display
- 2.2GHz Quadcore Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 / Adreno 330 GPU
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB Internal Storage with microSD card up to 64 GB.
- 4G LTE
- Water / Dust Resistant (IP55/IP58)
- Camera
- Sensor: 1/2.3-inch 20.7MP Exmor RS CMOS Camera
- G Lens: A lens with F2.0 and wide angle 27mm as well as 3x clear image zoom.
- 144 x 74 x 8.5mm / 170 grams
- 3000mAh Battery
As befits a phone with such a heavy emphasis on the camera, there will be a host of camera applications that will also be paired with the Sony PlayMemories App which is now available in Google Play, that will among other things, allow users to sync their photos to the cloud :
- Social live: Broadcast precious moments live from Xperia Z1 to Facebook and get your friends’ comments right on your screen.
- Info-eyeâ„¢: Innovative visual search function that provides related information on landmarks and on items such as books or wine simply by capturing them with the camera.
- Timeshift burst: Capture the perfect shot every time – Xperia Z1 takes 61 images in 2 seconds – a second before and after pressing the shutter – so you can scroll back and forth to find the perfect image.
- AR effect: Overlay a selection of fun, customizable animations to create pictures using Sony’s SmartARTM augmented reality technology.
Also heavily featured in the keynote was a host of NFC based products which will use ‘one-touch’ NFC technology, Sony has advised that they will have around 100 compatible products by the end of the year which will include TVs, headphones, audio speakers, tablets and more which will allow you to pair your phone with them for added functionaility.
Sony have advised that every Xperia Z1 sold in Europe and ‘many other markets’ will receive around 100 Euro worth of Sony’s service content which includes Music and Movies and as a bonus, Xperia Z1 owners will be among the first to see the digital release of the Matt Damon movie – Elysium.
Sony expects to launch the Z1 around the globe this month, although no details were given for carriers or countries. We will be speaking with Sony Australia with regards to a local release date for the Z1 and will update as soon as we have further information.
Of course there are videos – The majority of these come from the Sony Xperia YouTube channel but here’s all I could find
Xperiaâ„¢ Z1 – all the power and smartness from Sony :
A closer look at the Xperiaâ„¢ Z1
Xperiaâ„¢ Z1 – The World’s Best Camera In A Waterproof Smartphone
Experience the intelligent camera of Xperiaâ„¢ Z1
Xperiaâ„¢ Z1 is the Smart Social Camera
Xperiaâ„¢ Z1 – Hands on with Social Live – Broadcast video moments on Facebook
Xperiaâ„¢ Z1: Hands on with Info-eyeâ„¢ – the innovative way to gain information
Xperiaâ„¢ Z1 – Designed for your everyday life
TRILUMINOSâ„¢ Display and X-Reality BRAVIA technologies from Sony
HTC was slaughtered when they upgraded their flagships within a few months (One X > One X+ > Butterfly)
But it seems that people are happy with the Z1 announcement
I think Sony release a flagship mobile each half year (or that’s their plan anyway)
I’ve never considered a Sony smartphone before, but with that camera I may have been tipped over the edge!