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

Arthur Hucksake · 2 Feb 2014 at 11:33

deltalinx said:
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

I would keep swapping them until you get a good one, if need be. I loved the HTC One. If it wasn't for the camera going wrong I would be happy to still have it. Great phone.

Richdog · 2 Feb 2014 at 13:13

Arthur Hucksake said:
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.

Let it settle? What do you men?

Arthur Hucksake · 2 Feb 2014 at 14:52

Richdog said:
Let it settle? What do you men?

The Auto mode will keep switching through various modes. (If you look in the bottom right corner).... once it gathers the lighting info, focus etc it then settles on the right mode.

Often you can start snapping and its between modes. Its strange like that.

Richdog · 2 Feb 2014 at 16:04

Arthur Hucksake said:
The Auto mode will keep switching through various modes. (If you look in the bottom right corner).... once it gathers the lighting info, focus etc it then settles on the right mode.

Often you can start snapping and its between modes. Its strange like that.

Ahh, I see. Low light and flash performance i still pretty bad though... images are next to useless. I just took a few photos with flash and the bottom half of the photo exhibits significant purple/blue discoloration. My galaxy S III was a better general snapper, especially for random night out shots.

MJ · 2 Feb 2014 at 16:11

Richdog said:
Ahh, I see. Low light and flash performance i still pretty bad though... images are next to useless. I just took a few photos with flash and the bottom half of the photo exhibits significant purple/blue discoloration. My galaxy S III was a better general snapper, especially for random night out shots.

That's a shame. Starting to regret it a bit now. The camera for me is very important but WP is just to limited which is why I bought the Z1 compact.

Doohickey · 2 Feb 2014 at 16:16

What's the loudspeaker like on the Z1 Compact? I had an Xperia Z and it was rubbish, and the position of the speaker port was also poor. Any improvement?

Richdog · 2 Feb 2014 at 16:17

MJ said:
That's a shame. Starting to regret it a bit now. The camera for me is very important but WP is just to limited which is why I bought the Z1 compact.

Well, it's annoying, but really not a huge gripe I guess, considering the phone is incredibly strong in almost all other respects.

Doohickey said:
What's the loudspeaker like on the Z1 Compact? I had an Xperia Z and it was rubbish, and the position of the speaker port was also poor. Any improvement?

See my comments above.

EDIT - Verge sums it up best: http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/31/5363936/sony-xperia-z1-compact-review

ony has tucked away a single loudspeaker at the bottom of the Z1 Compact, which does a reasonable job of conveying notifications and blaring out the occasional tune. Cellular reception and call quality are similarly competent — neither stands out as excellent, but there’s little cause for complaint either.

Doohickey · 2 Feb 2014 at 16:20

Richdog said:
Well, it's annoying, but really not a huge gripe I guess, considering the phone is incredibly strong in almost all other respects.

The speaker has already been mentioned in the thread.

Oops, so it has. Search fail.

Arthur Hucksake · 2 Feb 2014 at 18:36

Not to defend it, but it's hardly surprising the speaker isn't loud considering the phone can be submerged in water. I'm still at a complete loss how the sound can travel through the sealed unit anyway.

-Mike- · 2 Feb 2014 at 19:33

Night time samples anyone?

Doohickey · 2 Feb 2014 at 19:41

Arthur Hucksake said:
Not to defend it, but it's hardly surprising the speaker isn't loud considering the phone can be submerged in water. I'm still at a complete loss how the sound can travel through the sealed unit anyway.

Fair point, I suppose there has to be some functional compromise with water proofing and what not. Having said that, it was one of the major let downs for me with my Xperia Z, and the positioning of the speaker port in particular. That and the screen to some extent, but I understand the viewing angles are improved now.

stoosh · 2 Feb 2014 at 20:28

Great to see Sony have improved the screen tech on the Z1 compact. A superb device for those looking for a standard size phone without compromising the specs. Am looking forward to seeing one in real life.

Video comparing Z1 and Z1 compact screen tech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtvhA3PHpyI#t=79

Arthur Hucksake · 2 Feb 2014 at 21:51

Doohickey said:
Fair point, I suppose there has to be some functional compromise with water proofing and what not. Having said that, it was one of the major let downs for me with my Xperia Z, and the positioning of the speaker port in particular. That and the screen to some extent, but I understand the viewing angles are improved now.

The screen is spot on. Better than the S4s I'd say. Has a very similar feel to an iPhone 5 or 5s but with whiter whites.

I hope they don't change the screen a few months down the line.

Richdog · 3 Feb 2014 at 09:18

I have just written a post on the Sony forum about the camera performance, and posted shots comparing it to an SIII... http://talk.sonymobile.com/t5/Xperi...a-so-poor-Comparison-shots/m-p/541415#U541415

Wonder what they will say.

Saundie · 3 Feb 2014 at 10:38

Has anybody got one of the DK32 charging docks? I've just ordered one, mostly because I've gotten so used to docking the Acro S, but also to save from having to keep lifting the USB flap.

Richdog · 3 Feb 2014 at 10:40

Saundie said:
Has anybody got one of the DK32 charging docks? I've just ordered one, mostly because I've gotten so used to docking the Acro S, but also to save from having to keep lifting the USB flap.

Nah, I would much prefer a Qi charging pad than the dock.

sarge78 · 3 Feb 2014 at 10:49

Richdog said:
So why is this camera, a camera that uses what is theoretically a high-quality imaging unit used by point and shoot cameras, so bad in everything except broad daylight?

Technically your S3 should be as good or better in low light.

Saundie · 3 Feb 2014 at 10:50

I have a Qi charging pad on order as well, for use in the office, but from what I gather it won't charge as quickly as the dock will. I guess I'll find out which I prefer soon enough

Richdog · 3 Feb 2014 at 10:57

sarge78 said:
Technically your S3 should be as good or better in low light.

It is better...but it shouldn't be so much better. The performance is sub-par imo, and most of it is down to software post-processing destroying the images.

sarge78 · 3 Feb 2014 at 11:54

Richdog said:
most of it is down to software post-processing destroying the images.

Superior Auto could have better oversampling* but without OIS current gen 1.1um pixel based phones are always going produce rubbishy looking images in low light.
Great for pixel peeping reviews/marketing but pants in many normal scenarios. Luckily a few OEMs haven't entered the MP war that blighted the point and shoot class a while back.

I'd kill for a Sony/Nokia with a 5MP 1/2.3"+ sensor.

If your 'night out' photos are hugely important then something with large pixels or OIS might be much more suitable.

*The leaked Z2 low light sample shots look a bit better, hopefully most of that comes from software over hardware tweaks. Then you've got to hope Sony fully implement it on the compact.