Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact review

25 September 2017
The Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact is a rare breed - it's small on the outside, but big on the inside. Packed with all the latest hardware and having only a small screen to power, Sony’s latest super-mini may very well be the performance champion to beat. But whenever there is a superhero, there is a villain lurking in the shadows. So yes, the Compact has its own battle to fight that’s not all about size or speed.

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Best smartphone in XZ series.

    • r
    • rafael
    • GXs
    • 24 Nov 2023

    still wating the same size and design phone from sony. best compact ever.

      I have 3 XZ1 Compact and one is still new. They all have a different display regarding brightness, contrast and saturation. Like the display on the Z Ultra (the Godzilla Phablet) the XZ1 Compact Display also gets white spots (you can see white bright spots when tilting the display). My old Redmi note 4 which I still use doesn't have such spots.
      I guess that the LCD used by Sony for different models across the years was made by the same manufacturer and those white spots are probably a sign of bad LCD being used.
      I recently went to a local tech store where several smartphones were displayed among them the Xperia 10 IV. The Xperia was the only device with screen burn in! I thought that was a thing of the past but looks like Sony is using cheap OLED screens on their mid range smartphones:(

        • S
        • Sarath
        • rKj
        • 17 Feb 2023

        I bought a docomo model. Can anyone tell how to unlock sim and bootloader to install custom ware

          Brian, 17 Jan 2021One of The best phones out there up to this day. Great over... more"it's THE ONLY compact smartphone on the market"

          Years have passed and it's still the last one, not counting iPhone

            manul, 13 Dec 2022Good phone but it gets too hot right? No. Though I don't play heavy games on it

              • m
              • manul
              • 6ru
              • 13 Dec 2022

              Good phone but it gets too hot right?

                After a Samsung A40 (small but slow), a very forgettable Honor Play, a Mi 9 T Pro (yeah... ok... why not) and a Note 10 Plus (far too big and not worth the money, though I like the screen), I come back again and again to the Compact line.
                The writer of this review didn't like the X Compact, but for me it's the best phone to handle one hand. Smooth as a pebble, it won't hurt your palm like the ZX1 C does (I even rounded the edges with a wet stone). But I never liked the blueish tone of the screen : this device is my mobile library, and I've read dozens of books on it.
                The ZX1 I bought brand new on January 2020 (yes, I kid you not : brand new) offers a better screen, a faster boot, better performances when swapping files with my PC, a battery that lasts a bit more, and still this handy compact format compared to all the other phones I have.
                Sure, the Note 10 is a pretty phone, the 9T Pro has a better screen to read on, the A40 is cute and the Honor Play is forgettable, but still : I come back, again and again, to the X Compact I bought new in 2016 and the XZ1 Compact when it comes down to choosing a phone for everyday use.

                  i’m a breakdown recovery technician and the most important thing to me about a phone is battery life and the xz1 is the king of every phone i’ve had or tried

                    • J
                    • Joejoe
                    • mcB
                    • 11 Sep 2021

                    Just broked my old friend for 3 years by droping a mug on it. That is really sad because there is literally nothing to replace it on a market right now. Either some seriosly pricey stuff or ridiculously large cr🐵pphones, so my heart broke along with a screen of my xz1 compact.

                      • C
                      • Cykosony
                      • ILK
                      • 24 Jun 2021

                      I still have all my ex Sony's..waaaay back the slide phone-"Walkman" phone...an Xperia SP-yup, with the LED light bar at the bottom..loved it, and couldn't kill it, still works....then the XZ Premium, my fave all time, first phone with 4k screen and killer design, universes better than the non premium version...the design which, Samsung ripped off 2-3 years later and used for it's Note 10, look at the profiles, hold them..very similar..interesting though is how all the reviews were smug on it's design(build quality of which, as always destroyed Samsung, Apple, and Lg, even Huawei, in ip68 tests, dunking all of them in water 5' down for 30 min, and only the Sony still worked..that test was done with the non premium variant xz2, but judging from my experience with the xz prem., The same held true the year before, and maybe every year. I knew someone that had a Z3 or ,4 and had it for 4 yeas, and still worked well when I played with it

                        • H
                        • Huttop
                        • qdW
                        • 12 Mar 2021

                        Nothing much to say but sony experia xz1 apart from 😍😍😍💯💯💯for it 👌👌👌, thanks the design 👏👏👏

                          • B
                          • Brian
                          • na1
                          • 17 Jan 2021

                          One of The best phones out there up to this day. Great overall. It's my 5th smartphone and I'm using it over a year now. Best so far! Great battery time, super fast performance, brilliant camera, great connectivity, HD HDR screen is exactly what this screen size needs. No unnecessary full HD or even 4K.... No point in such small screen.
                          But 3 most important features does it for me:
                          1. it's THE ONLY compact smartphone on the market.
                          2. It's totally waterproof
                          3. It keeps working under considerable load a whole day without recharging.
                          My score - 9+/10

                            • E
                            • Emeer
                            • sxs
                            • 26 Jul 2020

                            it's about 2 years when i bought my xz1 compact, this phone is superb and amazing! small phone but terrible ;

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • b2y
                              • 12 Mar 2019

                              I love my SONY XZ1 Compact!! I have been looking for a phone with a smaller screen than 5 inch. I have had this phone for over a year now. I have to say it is one of the best 3 phones I've ever had!!

                                • N
                                • NOBODYOLD -
                                • pkj
                                • 22 Feb 2019

                                I buy this phone because i utilised 3 years another model sony[zi compact] and i was verry satisfait .I want buy the new xz1 compact because the Procesor is more powerful and his memory too. the phone is magnific and i verry enchanted about performances.

                                  • R
                                  • Reprotski
                                  • YPb
                                  • 19 Dec 2018

                                  Hi guys,
                                  Any reported camera going black on this model yet. I'm hesitant to buy Sony as I had 2 Xperia Z3 compacts which the camera didn't last for a month on the first and about 3 month for the second. I had the Xperia Ion and Acro S which still running but very outdated.

                                    • C
                                    • Couch expert
                                    • nH{
                                    • 29 Oct 2018

                                    Pas, 19 Oct 2018So cutting through all the rigmarole ... does this phone ov... moreNo, it shouldn't.
                                    And by XZ Compact I meant X Compact, sorry.

                                      • P
                                      • Pas
                                      • U2$
                                      • 19 Oct 2018

                                      So cutting through all the rigmarole ... does this phone overheat?
                                      Or is that all in the past

                                        • C
                                        • Couch expert
                                        • nC4
                                        • 05 Oct 2018

                                        As of now, IMO, this is one legend of a phone, together with the original Z1 Compact. Z3 Compact would also be eternally awesome if not for screens and back panels falling off from heat. At the same time Z5 Compact overheated and had a weird cheapish design, XZ Compact was a midrange with flagship pricing. XZ2 Compact took another direction and it's just not my cup of tea, RIP jack and 16:9 screen.

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