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IFA 2017 | Sony Xperia XZ1 and XZ1 Compact now official and both get the SnapDragon 835 SoC

The new Sony Xperia XZ1 in Moonlit Blue. (Source: Sony)
The new Sony Xperia XZ1 in Moonlit Blue. (Source: Sony)
Sony have now made the XZ1 and XZ1 Compact official. Both feature Android 8.0 Oreo, SnapDragon 835 SoC, 4 GB RAM, and 19 MP Sony sensors. This means that despite the size reduction, the XZ1 Compact still contains flagship performance.

Update: There is a bit of confusion over whether the XZ1 and XZ1 Compact will be available in September or October. The press release on Sony's website states September, while the press release they sent us claims an October release.

Sony's press presentation at IFA 2017 ended not long ago and as expected the headline announcement was for the new Xperia XZ1 and XZ1 Compact. As shown by earlier leaks, both feature Sony's iconic 'love it or hate it' industrial design, dual front facing speakers, Android 8.0 Oreo and powerful SnapDragon 835 SoCs.

Xperia XZ1
The Xperia XZ1 has a 5.2-inch display protected by Gorilla Glass 5 and surrounded by quite large bezels for a 2017 flagship. In traditional Sony fashion the standard flagship model is 1080p — the 'premium' variants that normally come several months later include higher resolution screens, such as the 4K XZ Premium. Sony has used an HDR panel with a focus on color fidelity and contrast. Like other Sony flagships, the aluminum body is sealed to provide IP65/68 water and dust protection and has a fingerprint scanner embedded in the side mounted power button.

The rear-facing camera has a 19 MP Sony sensor, and the front has a large 13 MP sensor accompanied by a flash. Sony has used built-in memory on the image sensor that works with the 960 fps super slo-mo mode Sony debuted with the previous XZ-series, as well as allowing for the new 3D scan mode which produces 3D models of faces or objects by panning the phone around the subject. The 3D files can be used in Sony augmented reality apps or uploaded to a 3D printing service who can create porcelain or sandstone figures.

The Snapdragon 835 is paired with 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB UFS storage, and a microSD card slot that supports up to 256 GB cards. In connectivity, it has LTE Cat 16 with a theoretical maximum speed of 1000 Mbps. While tiny by today's standards, the 2700 mAh battery is paired with quick charge so at least it can be topped up in small bursts.

The XZ1 is available from early October in Black, Warm Silver, Moonlit Blue, and Venus Pink for US$700 or 700 Euro.

Xperia XZ1 Compact
The 4.6-inch XZ1 compact can be considered similar to its big brother, with Sony managing to still pack the same SoC, RAM, and battery for true flagship speed in a tiny body.

The key differences are a reduction in screen size to 4.6-inches, no HDR, switching the front facing camera to 8 MP, dropping the display resolution to 720p, a carbon fiber reinforced plastic body, and half the storage with 32 GB UFS. We believe that the smaller screen and lower resolution are better suited for the small battery, and suspect that battery life will be noticeably longer on the Compact phone.

The XZ1 Compact is available from early October in Black, Snow Silver, Horizon Blue, and Twilight Pink for US$600 or 600 Euro.

Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact color options. (Source: Sony)
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact color options. (Source: Sony)
Sony Xperia XZ1 color options. (Source: Sony)
Sony Xperia XZ1 color options. (Source: Sony)

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Sony press material

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2017 08 > Sony Xperia XZ1 and XZ1 Compact now official and both get the SnapDragon 835 SoC
Craig Ward, 2017-08-31 (Update: 2017-09- 2)