Crowds want flagship specs in a smartphone that can comfortably be used in one hand. This was the general consensus when Sony showcased the Xperia Z1 Compact at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show. Now the no-compromise smartphone is readying for its release in Australia.
The Z1 Compact manages to retain almost all of the features that make the larger Z1 Sony’s flagship — it has the same processing setup, camera technology and tolerance to dust and water — but it manages to offer this feature-set in a smaller 4.3in body.
Telstra has announced it will offer Sony’s Xperia Z1 Compact exclusively for the first 60 days. The carrier is offering the smartphone on two 24 month contract plans: at $8 per month on the $55 mobile accelerate plan, or at no extra cost on the $70 mobile accelerate plan. The smartphone has an outright price of $552 and will be available in black, white and pink.
Telstra is accepting preorders for the Sony Xperia Z1 compact now on its website, and if you order the smartphone ahead of its 18th of March store release, Telstra and Sony will throw in complimentary wireless headphones valued at $199.
Good Gear Guide is awaiting response from Sony representatives regarding which other carriers will offer the smartphone once Telstra’s exclusivity period is up.
A flagship at 4.3-inches
The Xperia Z1 Compact largely resembles its larger Z1 sibling inside, with a quad-core 2.2GHz CPU, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and the option of expandable microSD memory.
Nudging ahead of most of its rivals is the 20.7MP rear camera. A 2MP camera can be found on its face, and both cameras can record video in Full HD (1080p) resolution. It is also resistant to dust and can be used in 1.5m-deep freshwater for 30 minutes.
The main differences between the Z1 Compact and the original Z1 boil down to the screen and battery life, but even then, the differences are marginal. The smaller 4.3in screen has a high definition 1280x720 resolution and a 342 pixel-per-inch density. These are great specs for a smartphone that isn’t pushing ‘phablet’ screen sizes.
The Xperia Z1 Compact’s smaller screen isn’t as hungry for power as bigger-screened smartphones. As a result, Sony claims the smartphone’s 2300 milliamp-hour battery can still deliver up to 18 hours of talk time.
Good Gear Guide is currently assessing the Sony Xperia Z1 compact. We hope to bring you a detailed review well before the smartphone goes on sale in stores.
