With rumours of a mini version and following it’s official announcement just a few days ago, we take a look at the Sony Xperia Z1, nicknamed ‘Sony Honami’, the Japanese manufacturer’s new flagship smart phone. Already available to order with deals now, we see how it compares to one of its main competitors and biggest rivals, the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Sony Xperia Z1 Vs Samsung Galaxy S4
Samsung Galaxy S4 Vs Sony Xperia Z1 flagship phone comparison
Powered by a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with a 2.2 GHz quad-core chipset and Adreno 330 GPU which delivers 50% increased graphic performance than that of the older Adreno 320 processing unit that the Sony Xperia Z utilised, and backed up by 2GB of RAM, the Sony Xperia Z1 offers blistering speeds and smooth operating performance. As does the Galaxy S4 with its Snapdragon 600 processor and 2GM of RAM but if ultimate processing power is what you’re after then the Xperia Z1 smart phone certainly has that.
Running Android v4.3 Jelly Bean straight out of the box the Samsung Galaxy S4 losses some ground here with an older version of the Android operating system on-board, but Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface is more refined than Sony’s UI with a number of handy features and Android v4.3 is expected to be rolled out to the Galaxy S4 in the not too distant future.
Neck and neck when it comes to the display, both devices offer up a 5.0 inch 1080p Full HD display with 441 ppi pixels per inch.
But the Sony Xperia Z1 gets another big tick courtesy of its 20.7 mega pixel camera with Exmor RS, BSI light sensor and larger G lens that captures more light to create ultra-high definition images. No match for the Galaxy S4 despite it’s 13 MP high quality camera with LED flash, superb imaging features including OIS technology and full HD video capture.
Both have 16GB of built-in memory plus an additional 64GB if needs be thanks to microSD card slot expansion, so it’s a draw here.
The Xperia Z1 does house a larger 3000 mAh which should last longer albeit it is non-removable so if you like the idea of having a back up battery to hand then the Galaxy S4 would certainly be the better choice.
Both supporting 4G LTE network connectivity, the Xperia Z1 does hold another trump card.
It’s IP 55/58 certified which means not only is it dust proof but it’s water resistant too, couple that with durable tempered glass which is both scratch resistant and shatter-proof and the Z1 can pretty much deal with whatever life throws at it. And it has to be said that the Xperia Z1 does offer a rather sleek design with its solid aluminium frame, however the Galaxy S4 is still a very good looking phone.
Samsung’s Galaxy S4 is considerably smaller, slimmer and lighter though, measuring 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm and weighing 130 g in comparison to the Sony’s 144 x 74 x 8.5 mm dimensions and 170g weight. Another big plus of the Galaxy S4 is the option for wireless charging.
Initial thoughts
On paper the Sony Xperia Z1 does have the higher specification but the feature set of the Galaxy S4 may still be a huge winner factor that the Xperia Z1 finds difficult to compete with. Two formidable Android phones that regardless of the final score, still make for a tough choice decision.
Do you like the look of the Sony Xperia Z1 or are you a fan of the Samsung Galaxy S4? Let us know what you think.
In the meantime we leave you with this promotional video on the Sony Xperia Z1:
