Not much is secret these days when it comes to phone tech. We heard about the Sony Xperia Honami a long time ago, and since then it’s been leaked what seems like dozens of times. What was never 100% though were the specs, but thankfully those have been leaked today, just one day before the official announcement of the Xperia Z1 at IFA in Berlin. Xperia Blog has brought us the full leaked press release for the Xperia Z1, which shows it is in fact the powerhouse we hoped it would be in the spec leak nearly 2 weeks ago. While there are really no surprises here, it shows us that Sony is truly out to capture that high-end market this fall when the Xperia Z1 launches this month.
- 5-inch 1080p Triluminos Display
- Water/dust/scratch/shatter resistant rated IP55/IP58
- One-piece aluminum frame
- 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor
- Adreno 330 graphics processor
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB internal storage
- microSD card slot
- 3000mAh battery with STAMINA mode
- 20.7 megapixel 1/2.3-inch Exmor RSCMOS image sensor
- Sony G-Lens at 27mm with F2.0 aperture
- BIONZ image processing
- 144mm high x 74mm wide x 8.5mm thick
- 170 grams
Let’s delve into some of these specs a bit more. Sony has been good about using a uni-body design lately, and has taken it one step further by making the Xperia Z1’s frame a single piece of aluminum. This allows them to take the IP55/IP57 water/dust/etc. resistant technology from the Xperia Z one step further to provide the highest water/dust/scratch/shatter resistant phone in the high-end Android market. This is a huge selling point for, well anyone really, and is something we expect Sony to push like crazy when it starts marking the Z1. What’s most impressive about this is that Sony has packed the highest end Snapdragon 800 processor out there, even including LTE radios unlike the Oppo N1. On top of that you’ve got the highest resolution camera of any Android phone out there, including Sony’s own G-lens. What isn’t mentioned, however, is 4K video recording. The Snapdragon 800 supports this, but since it’s not mentioned in the press release we can only assume it didn’t make the cut in Sony’s imaging software. Of course don’t take that as it’s weight in gold until you specifically hear Sony say it doesn’t have 4K video recording.
Following that Sony has a number of applications listed that are included with the phone, including a suite of cloud-syncing apps. PlayMemories Online will be updated with a new “All Sync” feature that automatically uploads all your photos to the cloud, a la Google +, but this one doesn’t have a storage limitation. It’s not said whether this is at original resolution or not, but we imagine Sony would probably compress them down a bit given that a 20.7 megapixel picture library would take up quite a bit of space. Sony is joining the ranks of Samsung and HTC with their own TV tie-in app called TrackID TV, allowing users to view information about TV shows they are watching or would like to watch. TrackID TV will be available in the US, Japan, Germany, France and the UK.
Sony also has a number of accessories planned for the Xperia Z1, including the much-lauded QX10 and QX100 Bluetooth camera lenses. If you haven’t been following up on the QX lenses, they are essentially wireless optical camera lenses that can pair with your phone, and Sony even has a clip to mount the lens onto your smartphone. Sony will have Tipods and Imaging Stands available for these lenses and the Xperia Z1, as well as a new Miracast Wireless Display. The Xperia Z1 will be launching in three colors, Black, White and Purple, and have Android 4.2.2 packed in. Heck Sony will even be packing in a Sony Smartwatch 2 with the Xperia Z1 in some countries, so keep that in mind when making your fall phone upgrade this year.