IFA 2013: Sony hands-ons

introduction

Sony has deconstructed its best smartphone and put it back together into something amazing. The Xperia Z1 (codename Honami) is a powerful, camera-centric flagship backed up by the QX line of attachable camera modules and the SmartWatch 2.

The Sony Xperia Z1 takes some of the highlights of the original Xperia Z - the gorgeous OmniBalance design, a 5" 1080p screen, water resistant body - and kicks everything else into overdrive. The major crowd puller is the 20.7MP camera with G Lens and big 1/2.3" sensor, but the display tech is new and improved and the Snapdragon 800 chipset is the current chart-topper.

Meeting up with the Sony Xperia Z1

The 1/2.3" sensor is as big as what most point-and-shoots have, as well as the Samsung Galaxy Camera and Galaxy S4 zoom hybrids. True, it's smaller than Nokia's 1020 PureView imager, but Sony didn't compromise the build - the Xperia Z1 is 8.5mm thick throughout, there are no humps to hurt pocketability (and desirability).The Sony Xperia Z1 price has been set for £599 ($936.48) in the UK. The range in other countries including France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands start as high as €679 and as high as €865 ($849.99-$1140.16).

Sony Xperia Z1 at a glance

General: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, penta-band UMTS/HSPA, 100 Mbps LTE
Form factor: Water-resistant camera phone
Dimensions: 144 x 74 x 8.5 mm, 170g
Display: 5" 16M-color 1080p (441ppi) capacitive touchscreen TFT Triluminous display with X-Reality and OptiContrast
Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800, quad-core 2.2 GHz Krait 400, Adreno 330, 2GB
OS: Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
Camera: 20.7MP camera with 1/2.3" Exmor RS sensor and Sony G Lens, F/2.0 aperture; 2MP front-facing camera
Video camera: 1080p video capture with HDR mode
Memory: 16GB storage, microSD card slot, up to 64GB
Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, standard microUSB port with MHL and USB host, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, NFC
Battery: Sealed 3,000mAh battery
Misc: IP58 certified - dust-sealed and water resistant beyond 1 meter; shatter proof and scratch-resistant glass for the front and the back panel, metal frame on the sides

Today, top cameras are put on top phones and you pay for both. Plus, even the ones with impressive imaging credentials like the Xperia Z1 lack the optical zoom or stabilization of dedicated cameras, which on the other hand come short of features and apps, not to mention skimp on screen size and resolution.

Sony Cyber-shot QX100 and QX10

Enter the new QX line of lens-style cameras that allow you to enhance any smartphone with a 10x zoom or a large 1" sensor borrowed from Sony's acclaimed RX100 II camera. Each QX camera contains its own lens, image sensor and battery and uses NFC and Wi-Fi for pairing and communication with the phone.