Use the phone, though, and you’ll find a practically identical experience to the excellent Z1.
For starters, there’s a recent version of Android running here, with the promise of an update to 4.4 “KitKat” inbound later on.
As usual, Sony has provided its Xperia overlay, which takes the background from the Sony PlayStation 3 console, and provides various homescreens supporting widgets, softened icons, menus with multiple order types, and even micro-apps that can run atop everything found in the multi-tasking screen.
The drop-down notification bar can be setup with multiple quick settings options based on your own choices, so if you don’t want NFC or mobile data to be quickly controlled options, you can turn them off.
From a system performance point of view, we’re not surprised to see close to identical benchmarks, with speeds comparable in synthetic benchmarks to the Sony Z1, as well as the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and LG G2, both of which rely on the same processor.
Throughout our time with the handset, we didn’t find much lag to speak of, and everything generally ran perfectly. There were a few slowdowns every so often, but not enough to cause grief in the slightest.
Mobile performance was equally impressive, and while we didn’t test it on a Cat4 LTE network, our Cat3 4G tests were just as impressive, with speeds as high as 60Mbps found on this phone, and more likely possible from the same communication technology found in the Z1.
The screen is also very good, even if it doesn’t support the same Full HD 1920×1080 resolution as the panel in its big brother. Rather, the screen on the Z1 Compact was perfectly clear with vibrant colours from all angles and enough clarity to make it possible for us to read full-size webpages on the smaller screen.
Even better than the flagship Z1 is the battery, which appears to have had a helping hand from the lower resolution screen, providing as much a day and a half of battery for us in testing. That result happened while surfing the web, making phone calls, playing games, reading and writing emails, and doing a reasonable amount of social networking.
Phone users that hammer the phone and make tons of calls will find a day of life is likely, but overall, the Z1 Compact does very well by besting its big brother, which only nets the single day from our regular test.
Overall, though, the Z1 Compact is an excellent phone, and will suit the needs of many a customer, thanks to its excellent size, weight, and performance, as it really is the Z1 flagship (for the most part) in a more pocketable form factor. Support for Blue Tick certification for better reception in regional Australia is also a bonus, though one we didn’t get to test, thanks to GadgetGuy’s city location.
Our one set of quibbles extends from the camera, and while the 20.7 megapixel camera is capable of some decent shots, it’s not like the 40 megapixel shooter in the Nokia 1020 and won’t really provide full 20 megapixel images.
Rather, you’ll find 8 megapixel photos out of this handset most of the time, with scene modes available through the so-called manual modes, but no control in the 20 megapixel option.
Essentially, Sony is taking the higher megapixel sensor and providing what should be a better quality 8 megapixels, but it doesn’t always work out that well, and we found obvious noise in our low-light shots.
For the most part, though, the camera is fast, and if you like playing around with effects, you’ll be pleased with what is provided, including the same augmented reality effects that the Z1 could do, such as having dinosaurs walk out on your scene, or butterflies suddenly appearing in the middle of the shot.
This year, though, many of the cameras we’re seeing will have 4K video support, and unfortunately the Z1 Compact is not among these.
Despite supporting near identical specs to what Samsung used in its 4K-ready Galaxy Note 3, the Z1 Compact uses the same camera from the similarly named Z1, and Sony has already confirmed to us that 4K isn’t compatible with this camera. It’ll be there in the Z2, just not something with the Z1’s innards.
At least a shutter button is provided, which will make it possible to take shots without touching the screen, and even start the camera up from any screen in the phone just by holding it down.
Conclusion
Possibly better than its big brother, Sony’s Z1 Compact manages to get everything we liked about the Z1 into an even smaller package, making it suitable for anyone who wants something new, fast, and powerful, but also loves the size of the iPhone and doesn’t want something massive making a dent in their pockets.
Between the ruggedisation, excellent speeds, and better battery than the bigger Z1, Sony has practically nailed it with the Z1 Compact, and we look forward to seeing more like this. Recommended.
