Sony Mobile today announced two additions to its flagship family, Xperia XZ1 and Xperia XZ1 Compact with a new groundbreaking 3D scanning feature, HDR display for Xperia XZ1 and a Hi-Res Audio.
Sony Xperia XZ1
Xperia XZ1 incorporates the latest Motion Eye camera built using know-how from Sony’s ‘α’ and Cyber-shot camera ranges, for capturing life in ways no other smartphone can. Its memory-stacked Exmor RS image sensor pushes motion capture to the next level and produces exceptional image quality.
Just like the Xperia XZ Premium, you can record videos at 960 frames per second, providing a dramatised Super slow motion video playback. Plus new Predictive Capture stays one step ahead and automatically starts buffering images when it detects action or even a smile before you press the shutter button. So you can find a moment you may have missed from a selection of up to four shots.
Its new Autofocus burst intelligently follows your subject, adjusting the focus to make sure your action shots stay sharp. Rounding off the premium camera experience is the 13-megapixel front camera with a 1/3” sensor and a display flash so you’ll get well-lit selfies in any light.
Showing a breakthrough in mobile creativity, 3D Creator is Sony’s unique, innovative in-house algorithm for fast and easy scanning of 3D objects, offering a new world of creative possibilities. For the first time ever in a smartphone, you can capture high-quality 3D scans of objects in just one minute using the four scan modes; head scan, face scan, food scan and freeform scan.
Each mode has its own custom guides for ease of use and after finishing your object scan there are various playful options. Either share with your friends on Messenger apps using 3D stickers or upload to the 3D community such as Sketchfab, make the scan come alive by using it to create an avatar for use in the camera AR effects options, third party apps or as a live wallpaper, or even send your scan to a 3D printer to make it into a memorable keepsake.
Within the 3D Creator app you can also choose the ‘Find More’ button which takes you to even more possibilities available through Google Play, to explore a wider and ever growing 3D ecosystem.
Using Sony’s BRAVIA TV technology, Xperia XZ1 brings more colour and contrast to immerse yourself in your favourite shows and movies in stunning realism, by incorporating HDR (High Dynamic Range) in its 5.2” Full HD display. Further technologies, including TRILUMINOS Display for mobile, X-Reality for mobile and Dynamic Contrast Enhancer work together to give razor-sharp, detailed and brighter images on screen.
Sony audio expertise also lets you immerse yourself in the truly authentic sound of Hi-Resolution Audio with Xperia XZ1, enabling you to enjoy every nuance and detail in a track as if you’re right there with the artist. Thanks to Sony’s DSEE HX you can also enjoy more of your music in near Hi-Resolution with its upscaling capability.
Enjoy your music and movies with or without headphones using the evolved stereo speakers with S-Force Front Surround, bringing you 50% more sound pressure than previous Xperia models. Plus the built in Digital Noise Cancelling (DNC) technology reduces exterior noise by up to 98% when paired with DNC headphones for undisturbed listening.
Every aspect of Xperia XZ1 is unified to you and encased in a timeless design built with Sony craftsmanship. The exterior has our signature flagship loop surface with a seamless metal body for a premium, understated look and refined feel in your hand.
It’s designed with active usage in mind, and has been constructed with a full body joint structure that is strong against any twist and bend. Equally tough against outside elements, Xperia XZ1 is water resistant, dust-proof and reinforced with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the display so it’s tough enough to take on your day.
For a personalised touch, the integrated fingerprint sensor recognises you intuitively, giving it that unique and secure assurance. Wrapping up the premium design are four new colours, each inspired by natural light and the beautiful arrival of the changing tones as morning arrives; Moonlit Blue, Venus Pink, Warm Silver, and our classic Black.
To enhance your lifestyle choice, Sony’s new h.ear (pronounced ‘hear’) headphones (h.ear on 2 Mini Wireless, h.ear on 2 Wireless NC and h.ear in 2 Wireless) will also be available in harmonised colours to complement your Xperia.
Xperia XZ1 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset with X16 LTE, designed to provide blazing fast Gigabit LTE downloads speeds (up to 1Gbps) and performance to enjoy a modern lifestyle whilst working or having fun.
The Snapdragon 835 Mobile Platform is engineered to support stunning graphics, smooth performance and enhanced battery efficiency. Perfect for smooth, responsive gameplay of your favourite PlayStation 4 games using PS4 Remote Play. File transfers are also super-charged thanks to the USB 3.1 connection which is 10 times quicker than USB 2.0 with a transfer speed of up to 5Gbps.
Keeping your XZ1 powered with all day reliable battery, it has plenty of power on a full charge. But on days when you’re using extra energy, Smart Stamina works ahead of time to keep you powered up by estimating how long your current battery will last based on how you normally use your phone. And if it thinks you’re going to run out, it will prompt you to activate Stamina mode which cuts energy consumption so your battery lasts longer. Its charging technologies, Battery Care and Qnovo Adaptive Charging, help the battery stay healthy to give you a longer battery lifespan.
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
The Xperia XZ1 Compact also packs a punch with the latest Sony innovation including Motion Eye camera with Super slow motion video, 3D Creator, a super wide-angle front camera and a premium audio experience all in a convenient, hand-fit form with 4.6” display.
With Motion Eye camera’s memory-stacked image sensor, it pushes motion capture to the next level, producing exceptional image quality. You get all the latest features including Predictive Capture so you’ll never miss the unexpected again and Autofocus burst which intelligently follows your subject, adjusting the focus to make sure your action shots stay sharp.
You also get a super wide-angle front camera with a 120° Field of View (FoV) to give selfies that fit more into the picture, perfect for groups and beautiful scenery, or you can easily switch to an 80° normal angle in a single on-screen click. Even in low light, the display flash will keep your selfies bright.
Sony is famous for our unique sound innovations, and Xperia XZ1 Compact doesn’t skimp because of its size. It’s packed with the latest Sony audio-enhancing technologies such as Hi-Res Audio, DSEE HX upscaling, LDAC, Digital Noise Cancelling (DNC) and ClearAudio+. It also has our new stereo speakers which have 50% more sound pressure than previous models, making them our most powerful Xperia speakers ever so you can enjoy unprecedented sound quality, however you decide to listen.
The XZ1 Compact offers diamond cut edges and a metallic finish. It features an IP65/IP68 water resistance rating, a metal antenna on top and bottom for improved connectivity and a strong, anti-twist and bend full-body structure with Glass Fiber reinforced plastic material together with Corning Gorilla Glass 5. It comes in four colors to match your style, Black, White Silver, Horizon Blue and Twilight Pink.
Small but mighty, Xperia XZ1 Compact offers a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, boasting download speeds of up to 800Mbps which will let you download an episode of a TV series in 30 seconds. Performance is also boosted by the intelligence of Smart Cleaner which automatically detects unused apps and clears the cache, giving you the fastest, smoothest performance possible.
Additionally, a host of intelligent features such as Smart Stamina run on the Xperia learning engine which together with Battery Care and Qnovo Adaptive Charging technology bring you reliable all day battery throughout the product lifespan.
Availability
Xperia XZ1 and Xperia XZ1 Compact are available globally from September 2017, both will ship with Android 8.0, Oreo. The XZ1 and XZ1 Compact are available to pre-order from 31st August at Carphone Warehouse. Pre-orders of the XZ1 comes with a free pair of h.ear on 2 Wireless NC over ear headphones worth £250.
1 Comment
Parts of this report make me excited for the future of phones – we’re reaching towards excellent quality sound systems, for example. But where there are innovations in 3D scanning technology, it seems phone manufacturers are desperate to make futuristic steps forward before either the general public has any use for such features, and before the more pressing issues of poor battery life and easily breakable phones are solved. Of course, these problems mean that the industry thrives upon people buying replacement phones, but nevertheless, with Apple now charging £1000 for the new iPhone, I’m not sure how much longer customers can stand poor build quality.