Sony is expanding their Xperia Z1 family with two newly announced handsets, the Sony Xperia Z1s and the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. The former is a Xperia Z1 variant headed for T-Mobile, while the latter is a smaller version of the phone that manages to retain a majority of the same specs and features. We had a chance to check out both as part of Sony’s pre-CES press conference.
If you are at all familiar with the Xperia Z1 — or count yourself among those pining for a US release — the Sony Xpera Z1s will look mighty familiar. As far variants go, the most notable change here is 32GB of storage. Otherwise you get an identical device down to a 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 CPU, 5-inch 1080p display, and 20.7MP camera. Save for some T-Mobile badging, the Z1s features an identical build, remaining slim and sleek. Highlighting the powerful Exmor RS imaging sensor, Sony has included a physical camera button, a true rarity on today’s smartphones.
Understanding that not everyone wants or needs a 5-inch display, Sony’s Xperia Z1 Compact takes the same powerful specs of its bigger sibling and places them in smaller package featuring a 4.3-inch display. Some sacrifices are made in this area, reducing resolution to 720p HD, but the Z1 Compact is by no means meant to slot in as a mid-range phone. It keeps the Snapdragon 800 processor and perhaps more impressively the 20.7MP Exmor RS-based camera. The design of the phone mimics the bigger device, as well.
The Sony Xperia Z1s will be available from T-Mobile next week, January 13th, online and in stores by the end of the month. No official release plans have been confirmed for the Xperia Z1 Compact.