Sony announces Xperia Z1S and Z1 compact at CES 2014

Sony Xperia Z1S Hands On at CES 2014 

Sony announced two new mobile products this evening during its CES 2014 press event, the Xperia Z1s and the Z1 Compact.

The handset holds true to the vast majority of previously circulating rumours, with the spec being mostly identical to the Xperia Z1 flagship aside from a smaller 720p display and a smaller, slightly lower-rated battery pack.

The screen is a 4.3-inch TFT using Sony’s X-Reality Engine and Triluminos display technology just like its big brother. The 1280x720 pixel HD resolution clocks in at around 341 pixels-per-inch (ppi). Meanwhile the battery is rated at 2,300mAh.

The rest of the spec is what we’ve seen before: a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor clocked at 2.2GHz, 2GB of RAM, an Adreno 330 GPU, 16GB of onboard storage and support for 64GB microSD cards. The phone runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with Sony’s own UI on top and it shares the same interesting feature introduced by the Xperia Z1: the ability to stream video footage to your Facebook wall.

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact 

Also brought across from the 5-inch Xperia Z1 is the 20.7-megapixel Exmor RS back-illuminated camera sensor (BSI) with an f/2.0 aperture, LED flash, 1080p video, Sony G Lens and BIONZ image processing. The Xperia Z1 Compact includes a full range of connectivity options with Wi-Fi and Hotspot, 3G/4G mobile data, NFC, MHL, microUSB, GPS, Miracast, DLNA and Bluetooth 4.0.

In terms of design it’s almost like someone’s done that trick where you shrink crisp packets in the oven, but with an Xperia Z1 instead (please don’t try that at home). It’s the spitting image of the Xperia Z1 with its stylish aluminium surround, punched speaker grilles, round power button and both front and rear glass body panels contributing to a sleek, modern look. The handset is also fully IP55 and IP58 certified for water and dust resistance just like its bigger counterpart.

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact Key Features:

• Display : 4.3”, 1280x720 IPS LCD
• Rear Camera : 20.7MPx, 1/2.3” sensor, F/2.0 aperture, 27mm equivalent focal length, “G lens”
• Front Camera : 2MPx
• RAM : 2GB
• Battery : 2300 mAh, 3.8V, 8.74 Whr
• Storage : 16GiB internal NAND, microSD slot
• Dimensions : 127 x 64.9 x 9.5 mm, 137g