Xperia Z1 Compact... finally the holy grail for "normal sized" phone enthusiasts?

DIABLO · 1 Feb 2014 at 23:03

Arthur Hucksake said:
I said similar things. It is the iPhone of the Android world in many ways. It is so so damn slick. None of that UI jitter you often get with just about every Android device.

The battery life is superb.

I had 3 and half hours on screen time, 1 hours of calls, 8 hours on battery total and still had 60% left. That is stunning. We are talking a decent sized Android device with iPhone capacity.

Then you have Stamina mode to consider, which I haven't even touched on yet.

I am smitten with this phone. This is a top top notch device.

Need a screen shot to drool over.

-Mike- · 1 Feb 2014 at 23:04

We have owners and yet no pictures / sample photos? Come on gents :eek:

slipd · 1 Feb 2014 at 23:20

DIABLO said:
Of course you can but a screen protector on top of screen protector would do nothing for screen quality or touch sensitivity.

That's cool, I was just under the impression that you almost had to perform a modification on the phone and remove the Sony branding etc, if you wanted to add your own protector

Tbh, the last 3/4 touch screen phones I've had have had a protector on them and I've never noticed any less response? Plus, having a nice clean screen adds to their resale

Participant · 1 Feb 2014 at 23:35

Richdog said:
whoever makes any reference to "omg the bezel is big" has no clue what they are talking about. It's a non-issue.

Whether it's acceptable or not is a matter of taste, I suppose...

...but that is an undeniably big bezel. If wasted fascia doesn't bother you then I'm sure you'd get along with the phone fine. However the HTC One manages smaller bezels and it has speakers.

MJ · 1 Feb 2014 at 23:48

It's a shame about the htc one. I think i was just unlucky but i went through 3 of them all with hardware issues. It has easily the best screen i have ever seen on a smartphone.

Shame the next version is going to a 5 inch screen.

manveruppd · 2 Feb 2014 at 03:36

Well frankly I don't mind a big bezel at the bottom of the phone - it gives you somewhere to hold it from without touchingthe screen accidentally. The bit above the screen does look larger than warranted though

Arthur Hucksake · 2 Feb 2014 at 09:14

MJ said:
It's a shame about the htc one. I think i was just unlucky but i went through 3 of them all with hardware issues. It has easily the best screen i have ever seen on a smartphone.

Shame the next version is going to a 5 inch screen.

Yeah, I had the same problems. I think the first runs of them were fine, they then switched their manufacturing process and parts.... all downhill.

Lot to do with cost saving I assume.

deltalinx · 2 Feb 2014 at 09:18

Arthur Hucksake said:
Yeah, I had the same problems. I think the first runs of them were fine, they then switched their manufacturing process and parts.... all downhill.

Lot to do with cost saving I assume.

What problems are there for the later HTC One models then? I'm looking at buying one this week.

Arthur Hucksake · 2 Feb 2014 at 09:20

DIABLO said:
Need a screen shot to drool over.

I put it on charge, wish I didn't now. lol

Right now... I am on 80%.

That's 12 hours total, 1hr 15 min screen time, 45 min phone call.

Judging by usage, I will be able to get home from work each night with over 80% left. lol

Richdog · 2 Feb 2014 at 10:03

There is one thing I am disappointed with... and that's the camera. The post-processing is god damn awful, and photos (at least in low light pubs, where I tested it yesterday) are noticeably worse than on the Samsung SIII, I would say more than twice as bad. Details are crushed by whatever the software does afterwards, and close up face shots look quite frankly terrible when you zoom in. Very annoying in an otherwise perfect phone.

Participant said:
Whether it's acceptable or not is a matter of taste, I suppose...

...but that is an undeniably big bezel. If wasted fascia doesn't bother you then I'm sure you'd get along with the phone fine. However the HTC One manages smaller bezels and it has speakers.

It's also a matter of having the phone in your hand. The bezel is basically as much a problem as it is on the iphone. So yes, a non-issue. The phone is perfectly sized.

Arthur Hucksake · 2 Feb 2014 at 11:05

Here is a bumper post with info. Not complete yet, but you will get the general idea.

Here are some camera samples. I haven't got to grips with this camera yet, but you kinda have to treat it more like a regular digital camera. There is so much to tinker with. Manual mode is where it really shines. The Auto mode does need some software refinement. Very capable snapper though.

Here is a full size one.

http://i.imgur.com/dQQnaTI.jpg

As for the battery life, very solid.

Stats below include some camera, an hour long phone call and general usage. Idled over night as well, the idle battery life is also very good.
If your working on a 10-12 hour basis between charges, I bet you could get over 7hrs on screen time with this phone.

Richdog · 2 Feb 2014 at 11:07

Yeah, those photos are definitely decent, but they are also in good light. In low light with Intelligent Auto it really sucks. I will play with the manual settings then and try and find a happy medium.

Arthur Hucksake · 2 Feb 2014 at 11:09

deltalinx said:
What problems are there for the later HTC One models then? I'm looking at buying one this week.

The pinky camera is the biggest issue with the HTC One. Huge thread on XDA about it, I was unlucky enough to get one with it too.

Arthur Hucksake · 2 Feb 2014 at 11:11

Richdog said:
Yeah, those photos are definitely decent, but they are also in good light. In low light with Intelligent Auto it really sucks. I will play with the manual settings then and try and find a happy medium.

I use Manual indoors now. That pic with the cat was taken indoors using Auto mode. I think the trick is to let it settle properly. The light wasn't that great for the cat pic.

deltalinx · 2 Feb 2014 at 11:16

Arthur Hucksake said:
The pinky camera is the biggest issue with the HTC One. Huge thread on XDA about it, I was unlucky enough to get one with it too.

Yeah I read about that, I don't care so much about the camera though it's the rest which I love.. very much liking the look of this Xperia though.. I do like mid size phones.

Arthur Hucksake · 2 Feb 2014 at 11:17

deltalinx said:
Yeah I read about that, I don't care so much about the camera though it's the rest which I love.. very much liking the look of this Xperia though.. I do like mid size phones.

Snapdragon 800 makes a difference. It is a lot faster than the HTC One was.

The UI is slicker than iOS 7 was on my iPhone 5, that is very impressive.

Arthur Hucksake · 2 Feb 2014 at 11:21

Here's a benchie. :-)

MJ · 2 Feb 2014 at 11:25

There is still some pretty aggressive post processing happening in those pictures. Its a shame that Sony, a company with such incredible imaging pedigree, can built incredible hardware but let it self get piped at the post by sloppy software.

When I get mine, hopefully tomorrow, I'll post some comparisons between this and a Lumia 1520 and the mighty 1020. They are examples of how you let software work with excellent hardware.

Sony give us the ability to shoot RAW!

deltalinx · 2 Feb 2014 at 11:31

Arthur Hucksake said:
Snapdragon 800 makes a difference. It is a lot faster than the HTC One was.

The UI is slicker than iOS 7 was on my iPhone 5, that is very impressive.

I'm used to the Nexus 4 speed and moto G, so the One will be a slight improvement and those phones were great for my use, I can get the One for £130 brand new so I think it's a no brainer, so many phones to choose from ahhhhhh

Arthur Hucksake · 2 Feb 2014 at 11:32

MJ said:
There is still some pretty aggressive post processing happening in those pictures. Its a shame that Sony, a company with such incredible imaging pedigree, can built incredible hardware but let it self get piped at the post by sloppy software.

When I get mine, hopefully tomorrow, I'll post some comparisons between this and a Lumia 1520 and the mighty 1020. They are examples of how you let software work with excellent hardware.

Sony give us the ability to shoot RAW!

That's the mode I set. That is my doing I would say, then you have Imgur compression to consider.

I think one of those is using HDR+Backlight mode , looks too dreamy doesnt it.

The Lumia cameras are way ahead of the pack, but WP is awful. I just couldn't put up with it. If the camera was my primary reason for wanting a phone, I would consider it.

You are right about RAW. A 20MP camera should have a raw mode in there really.

They are pushing an update soon for 4.4 , will have to see what changes they bring.