Sony Xperia XZ1 hands-on review: First impressions

31 August 2017
There's a new top Sony dog in town and its name is the Xperia XZ1. So, it's official: Sony is persisting with its, let's say, questionable naming convention. To be fair, we do see the consistency in it all, but it is still a rather silly title. Plus, we do have to complain about some aspect of the XZ1, since, frankly, after spending a bit of time with it, our initial impressions are really positive.

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • 6XU
  • 02 Sep 2017

Design isn't the same. It changed a little. It is somewhat curved with small edges. Looks cool. Good job Sony.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • n41
    • 02 Sep 2017

    Anonymous, 01 Sep 2017The thing is, yes, with tiny phone speakers, there is no so... moreyes you are absolutely rigt. cheap small bluetooth speakers are a lot better than itty bitty tiny phone speakers.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • 0I}
      • 02 Sep 2017

      ugly

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • n41
        • 02 Sep 2017

        UltimateZeroSeconds, 02 Sep 2017Dual front speaker is very nice and it's better than any si... morereally? with weak volume, those speakers are useless

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • n41
          • 02 Sep 2017

          Tann Hauser, 02 Sep 2017Zhe point is for him, not you.still looks ugly and the big bezel is still there. it will fail again.

            Anonymous, 02 Sep 2017Same would be true if any other company did it. What's your... moreZhe point is for him, not you.

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • g3Z
              • 02 Sep 2017

              Tann Hauser, 02 Sep 2017I see only fanboys crawling over each other here, just beca... moreSame would be true if any other company did it. What's your point?

                Lex79, 02 Sep 2017There is a difference between those examples and this new 3... moreI see only fanboys crawling over each other here, just because Sony debuted it...for them unfortunately.

                  • L
                  • Lex79
                  • pL%
                  • 02 Sep 2017

                  Anonymous, 02 Sep 2017Are you really serious ? That phone has no camera, no scan... moreThere is a difference between those examples and this new 3D modelling feature. That's all kind of irrelevant though. You see had the likes of Apple or Samsung debuted a feature like this, then the Sony fanboys would be crawling over each other just to be first to deride it as nothing more than a gimmick.

                  Kind of like when Apple brought in 120fps Slo-mo capture ability, but to the Sony fanboy that was not more than a cheap trick, that opinion has remained for as long as Sony's best alternative was the awful time-shift video feature, but wait....now we have 960fps and suddenly Slo-Mo is the Sony fanboys best friend.

                  I first would like to see how this 3D thing affects device performance, Xperia camera features have a habit of getting the device rather not, rather quick and thus causing shut down of the camera app. If this feature can be used longer than a few minutes without causing said issues....we'll then maybe it's worth a look.

                  More interesting is this new more advanced predictive auto focus and what appears to be burst capturing, if that works as advertised and helps reduce or eliminate motion blur in moving subjects, then that is the true stand out feature of this new camera set up. Will wait and see though, Sony had previously promised blur free focusing and capture on the XZ......and well that wasn't quite true.

                    • Z
                    • Zorq
                    • Jxt
                    • 02 Sep 2017

                    The excellent predictive keyboard and stamina mode are Sony's key selling points for me, if we don't count slo-mo. However, software and security updates, or the lack of them, and minimal support period is killing the idea of the Android phone, except for Pixel. When the heck will they realize I care more for up to date system than their system-bundled apps? Samsung and LG are even worse. Looks like Nokia got this right now with their vanilla Android, hopefully this becomes a trend, at least at Sony. Otherwise the phone would be excellent... in the past year. From this year on, I want an S8 or G6 or Q6 or other thin bezel phone with stock Android and regular sw updates. Essential, that is. Or wait until next year, or the next.

                      Anonymous, 02 Sep 2017Are you really serious ? That phone has no camera, no scan... moreYes I am.

                      You speak of 3d photography itterations, which is no more complex than panorama feature.

                      This is real time 3d object rendering.

                      Google it, and stop writing nonsens.


                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • g3Z
                        • 02 Sep 2017

                        Anonymous, 02 Sep 2017You're right and wrong. First off. Nobody argued about so... moreComparing z3 to m8. Like really.....

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • krW
                          • 02 Sep 2017

                          Anonymous, 02 Sep 2017Do some research on speaker placement and soundstage and im... moreYou're right and wrong.
                          First off. Nobody argued about sound stage. Yet you keep replying as if they did. They just pointed out the front facing stereo speakers are better than side or bottom firing single ones. So stop frantically replying like that are saying you are wrong and actually acknowledge them.

                          Second tag they speakers have not been the best but they did sounds better on some types of music when you compared the z3 to m8.
                          And you are also not equating that they have had water proofing membranes covering the speakers for a while. Which they could have strived to over come a little better, but does take a hit regardless.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • tAT
                            • 02 Sep 2017

                            UltimateZeroSeconds, 02 Sep 2017Dual front speaker is very nice and it's better than any si... moreDo some research on speaker placement and soundstage and imaging. To simplify it all for you, speakers should not face out in parallel lines.

                            Plus Sony speakers have always had below average volume, just look at the spec sheets here at gsmarena. But the worst is the tinny sound from Sony extra miniature speakers. In fact, many other brands with single speakers outperform Sony's dual speakers.

                            Also, you just cover the speakers with your fingers in panorama mode, game playing, watching movies, you tube etc etc. In summary, these Sony speakers are about the worst on the market.

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                              • AnonD-521587
                              • kcM
                              • 02 Sep 2017

                              Atrax, 02 Sep 2017An even smaller battery than XZ I have now? Sony, you have ... morethe XZP is the best sony smartphone right now no doubt. The XZ1 having smaller battery is really stupid. why not make use of the optimizations by adding an even bigger battery. The point isn't to maintain the same batter longevitiy as last year but rather to surpass it.

                                Anonymous, 01 Sep 2017If speakers are facing straight ahead, you are missing out ... moreDual front speaker is very nice and it's better than any side mono speaker. The audio waves are directly to the user ear, it pretty loud for a personally listening and it doesn't disturb people surrounding. Plus the audio quality is awesome too, you can hear the bass have strength and the treble won't hurt people's ear like mono speaker.

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                                  • Atrax
                                  • SXm
                                  • 02 Sep 2017

                                  An even smaller battery than XZ I have now? Sony, you have tried to convince us your badass software optimisations will get the same battery life with smaller batteries as older models with big batteries. It is not the case by any stretch of imagination. My old Z3 is still capable of 4 days of my normal usage, my XZ can barelly stretch it to two days, same usage type. So no, I'm not upgrading. Battery life and design were the two primary aspects that got me hooked on Sony, since the first Z model, been upgrading since then. I think I'm done. Don't get me wrong, I love my XZ, but with XZs and now XZ1, Sony started compromising and nerfing the things I loved the most about their phones. Great, we finally get an all metal body. Big effin deal. If they made the phone thicker only by so much to eliminate the camera bump, they would be able to fit at least 3000mA battery in there, and there wouldn't be a camera bump, which is a plus. I honestly don't understand what is going on with their philosophy. I maybe would if their Premium models had like huge batteries compared to lower tier phones, but it's not the case. XZ Premium battery pretty much sucks considering how big the phone is. With each new Sony release, I miss my black Z3 more. Still have it, though, might even switch back. It is also the best looking phone I own, by far.

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • tAT
                                    • 02 Sep 2017

                                    Tann Hauser, 01 Sep 2017I actually enjoy ocassional music listening on my stereo sp... moreSony miniature speakers with tinny sound and unbalanced placement are far behind virtually all competing brands in volume and clarity. This is just another and typical failed Sony advertising ploy to trick the general public. And now you are saying that humans have stereo ears. As usual, you are totally wrong but never the less, you are the Entertainer here with your absurd claims...LOL

                                    'TINNY' sound means an irritating, high-pitched sound quality.... or upper midrange and treble with a lack of bass frequency. The resulting sound seems to lack body and weight giving the impression of a thin or metallic sound.

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • tAT
                                      • 02 Sep 2017

                                      Tann Hauser, 01 Sep 2017LOL :-D Oh, your nonsens...overwhelming. :-D Here the... moreAre you really serious ? That phone has no camera, no scanning ability, no input/output plugs/connections, a screen with only 4 shades of gray. As basic, primitive phone as humanly possible. And your claiming that its 3D enabled ? You are entertaining and always give readers a good laugh...LOL

                                      List of 3D-enabled mobile phones

                                      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_3D-enabled_mobile_phones

                                      2007...Samsung first with 3D camera
                                      2011...HTC first with 3D camera and 3D output with HDMI

                                      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LG_Optimus_3D

                                      The LG Optimus 3D is a 3D-enabled Android 2.2 Froyo, 3D mobile device released on 7 July 2011 in the UK and has been touted as the world's first full 3D mobile phone. The phone features two 5 MP back-facing cameras that are capable of filming 720p 3D and Full HD 1080p in 2D, while pictures taken in 2D mode are 5 MP and 3 MP when taking a 3D picture. It also includes a VGA front-facing camera for video-calling. The phone features a 3D user interface which allows the users to access 3D content, such as YouTube in 3D, 3D games and apps, or 3D gallery with a push of a button.

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                                        • AnonD-521587
                                        • kcM
                                        • 01 Sep 2017

                                        Tann Hauser, 31 Aug 2017But I dont like slimming, and camera protruding too. I a... moreyup those are also two things wrong with the design not to mention the idiotic move to make the battery even smaller when competitors are offering bigger batteries. Sony also never made portruding cameras before.

                                        yeah i do gotta hand it to them with the 3d creator which is a pretty cool feature as well as having 8.0 out of the box. but nothing much innovative outside of that, still 1080p display, still same design, and small battery.

                                        would take the XZP over this.

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