Sony Xperia Z1 compact hands on

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Sony Xperia Z1 compact hands on

Sony is jumping on the bandwagon of making smaller, more pocketable versions of flagship smartphones, much as we have already seen from Samsung and HTC. Unlike its rivals however, Sony seems to be doing the mini smartphone right. The Xperia Z1 Compact packs the same waterproof, metal and glass design, advanced quad-core processor, 4G LTE connectivity and 20-megapixel camera as the top-end Xperia Z1, but shrinks the screen down to a much more controllable 4.3-inches.

Although the HTC One Mini and Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini both bear the names of their elitist brethren, some models actually come with considerably watered down specs that will not keep hardcore tech fans happy. The Z1 Compact allows cutting-edge tech without forcing you to have a smartphone so big you can camp under it. The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is due to go on sale in the UK and wider Europe in the middle of February, but Sony hasn't yet stated if it will make its way to the US. It also hasn't said how much it will be, but did suggest that its similar specs to the Z1 indicates a similar price - expect it to be somewhere between £400 and £450.

watch Sony Xperia Z1 compact video :

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact at a glance :

• Dimensions: 127 x 64.9 x 9.5 mm, 137g.
• Display: 4.3" Triluminous display of 720p resolution, 341ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800; quad-core Krait 400 at 2.2GHz, Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB RAM.
• OS: Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (planned upgrade to 4.4 KitKat shortly after launch).
• Camera: 20.7 MP, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, LED flash, 2MP front-facing.
• Video camera: 1080p @ 30fps video capture with both cameras.
• Storage: 16GB built-in, microSD card slot with support of up to 64GB.
• Connectivity: NFC, A-GPS+GLONASS, WLAN (2.4/5Ghz) a/b/g/n/ac, microUSB 2.0 (MHL), BlueTooth 4.0 LE.
• Battery: 2,300 mAh.
• Misc: FM Radio, built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor.
• Colors: Black, White, Pink, Lime, Yellow.

The Z1 Compact has managed to retain not only the impressive Snapdragon 800 CPU, the 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of expandable storage, but also the Z1's 20.7MP shooter capable of 1080p video recording. You will also find the same connectivity features and even a promised Android 4.4 KitKat upgrade. The only thing Sony did not manage to bring over was the Full-HD screen resolution and 3000mAh battery. This is one of the more powerful small handsets out there, so we'll be interested to see just how well it copes and whether it handles the heat from the Snapdragon 800 better than the Z1.