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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  • D
  • AnonD-175235
  • GBj
  • 26 Sep 2017

AnonD-175235, 26 Sep 2017Now tell me if your A series will not degrade on battery li... moreXZ1 compact ^

    • D
    • AnonD-175235
    • GBj
    • 26 Sep 2017

    L0lip0p, 26 Sep 2017Umm... Xz1 same capacity, fullhd 5.2" lcd = 82hour A3 4.7"... moreNow tell me if your A series will not degrade on battery life after a year hahaha that 92 hours would go down to 62 hours in a jiffy where as the x compact would be hitting higher marks on battery because of consistent updates and their qnovo battery tech

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • x{j
      • 26 Sep 2017

      in which region can you get a dual sim XZ1 compact?

        Cutesy little thing,this..Compact size and good specs..except the screen..But the price?550Euro is way too much,common Sony that's Fruit company's thing,overpricing like that.Drop the price under 400Euro,and you'll have a winner.

          Hey sony, Im waiting for a sub 5" phone with flagship specs forever now. What keeps me from buying? I really want bezelless and 1080p. I dont need 4k screen, but 2k would be nice for once.

            I remember the time when I had 4 inches phone screen with 2 days of battery life and 8 hours SOT. Today it's rarity. I like the bezels and it's more practical. Sony and apple are the companies that still uses same design. Because it's great. No need for changes every year like samsung does. Maybe sony will rescue me from bezeless curved screens and cutouts.

              • g
              • gan
              • tTi
              • 26 Sep 2017

              why people complain too much on bezels... actually bezels are very useful when we use mobile in portrait view for games and videos. people are becoming idiots only for looks...think practically and that is sony doing... i have used and tested S8 and its a nonsense practically.. very time there will be false touch during use.. bezel less design phones are just for show or looks... do not fall for it...

                iam going to sell my xiaomi mi5 and buy this...believe me you can play cod 4 even cod 5 with emulator (40fps at least) so you dont need to buy galaxy s9 or snapdragon sd845 device:)

                the king of the kings back:)

                hope xiaomi will release similar device and we can buy:)

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • XN1
                  • 26 Sep 2017

                  AnonD-697839, 26 Sep 2017Why would GSM arena put the 720p screen as a Con? It should... moreI'm agree with you!!

                  GSMArena said "The 4.6-inch LCD screen fails to impress in terms of resolution.."
                  don't forget, it's 720p on 4.6 inch display. Are people expecting at least 1080p on 4.6 inch display?

                    • A
                    • Anonymous
                    • uuU
                    • 26 Sep 2017

                    AnonD-457355, 26 Sep 2017LMAO at the "shortcomings" XD Bezel-Less screens suck, H... moreTrue 720p on less than 5 inch phone is perfect. Anything more is unnecssary and will also affect battery life. My 32 inch TV has a 720p screen.

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • s}b
                      • 26 Sep 2017

                      Seems like finally a successor to the legendary Z3c, which was flagship performance with unrivaled battery life. I have much reservations about the screen resolution. Another all time favorite phone of mine is M7, and that has a 1080p screen in negligibly larger size. I think the reviewer is giving too much of a pass for this. Although, many can't tell the difference, but for the rest of us that has been spoiled by 500+ PPI, low 300 PPI is decidedly ugly. All that can be forgiven, had not been for the price. The MSRP is IMO priced ~50 USD too high just because of that ancient screen. I would love to buy another compact phone as a backup, but may be I'll wait until it drops to the 400 dollar mark.

                        • M
                        • Max
                        • n9a
                        • 26 Sep 2017

                        Stop crying over that 720p and bezels already. iPhone8 has (gasp) 750p screen with even bigger (oh my god...) bezels and no one seems to mind.

                        What we got here is a real powerhouse with insanely fast performance, outstanding battery life, pocketable dimensions and the newest software Android world has to offer.

                        The real issue with this phone is just 32gigs of internal storage. Power users will fill it up in no time. SD card is not a viable solution because you cannot move apps and temp storage there.

                        Another serious con is poor camera performance in low light. Once again it reminds us that it's not the bigger MP that counts but the quality of them.

                        Finally Sony should have included wireless charging. I suspect it will gain much more traction after Apple has finally embraced it.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • NHr
                          • 26 Sep 2017

                          This just about sums it up for me : "the bezel-less race is on and it's much more attractive and entertaining" :)

                            Anonymous, 26 Sep 2017Who love small phones this is just for them. Don't listen t... moreYup, its as simple as that. One who actually uses Xperia flags, knows its overall buck for performance worth over competition.

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • 6XU
                              • 26 Sep 2017

                              Who love small phones this is just for them. Don't listen to others. Just buy and enjoy. In my country almost everyone buy Samsung and suggest them me too. But I've not listened them and now they are crying because of their laggy shit. And I'm enjoying my Sony. Go for it guys.

                                • S
                                • Simon
                                • Kgv
                                • 26 Sep 2017

                                Wow, finally a successor to the Z3 Compact. Apart from the large bezels and camera imperfections (lack of OIS is quite striking) as well as some audio hiccups it is great, and a big “finally”. The Compact series are by far the best Sony has had to offer.

                                  • D
                                  • AnonD-457355
                                  • L16
                                  • 26 Sep 2017

                                  LMAO at the "shortcomings" XD

                                  Bezel-Less screens suck, HDR is a gimmick, and since when is a 4.6" HD screen "low resolution" ? O.o it's a regular sized phone not a plus phone/phablet, regular phones are designed with the assumption you won't be using them to watch 4K movies lol.

                                    AnonD-697839, 26 Sep 2017It's easier to handle the device since it will have a small... moreHell no.
                                    Bezeless is a "chronic thumb cramp and palm compression syndrome certified over prolonged use" design.

                                      AnonD-565268, 26 Sep 2017I have used 2 devices from Sony ans both of them without an... moreYou should ve asked before.
                                      Drop the resolution of camera app to 8/12 mpx and you get absolutely no grain, less detail tho like the rest of 12 mpx bunch.

                                        Amok, 26 Sep 2017Only Sony fanboys will surprise about the battery endurance... moreActually, Sony updates mostly prolong battery endurance, with latest september update since 3 days ago my "lousy batterylife" half year old X Performance has gone from average 6 to 7 hr SoT, up to 7.5 to 8 hr SoT endurance now on 200 nits and 4g....
                                        Qnovo indeed ensures consistancy without batterylife drop over time....

                                        I dare you to find any other phone keeping this level of SoT consistency and even upgrade over a year of usage.

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