Following the announcement of the QX series camera modules, Sony Mobile has also announced their latest Android flagship in the Xperia Z1, a mid-year refresh of the Xperia Z with extensive changes from the first version. The phone features the following updated specifications from the Z and is heavily focused on imaging:
- Sony’s “G Lens”: A lens with an F2.0 aperture lens assembly and 27mm wide angle view as well as a 3x clear image hybrid zoom.
- BIONZ for mobile: New image processing engine with the algorithm from Sony’s leading digital compact cameras. It ensures pictures have less noise, fast auto-focus as well as high stable images for video shooting, preventing shots from being blurred.
- 1/2.3-type Exmor RS for mobile CMOS image sensor with 20.7 effective megapixels: high sensitivity sensor captures huge amounts of detail for sharp, crisp images, even in low-light conditions.
- Dust and water-resistant (IP55 & IP58), with acclaimed OmniBalance design featuring durable tempered glass and solid one-piece aluminium frame
- Qualcomm Snapdragon™800 quad-core 2.2 Ghz processor, 3000 mAh battery, 4G LTE support
- Xperia Camera Applications such as Social live which broadcast to Facebook. More applications will be available to download from Sony’s Select storefront.
- Memory: RAM 2 GB, Flash memory up to 16 GB, microSD™ card expansion slot with support for up to 64 GB cards.
- Available in black, white and purple variants
In addition, Sony has elaborated on the Xperia Camera apps mentioned above and launching with the Z1:
- Social live: Broadcast live from the Xperia Z1 to Facebook and get your friends’ comments right on your screen.
- Info-eye: visual search function that provides related information on landmarks and on items such as books or wine simply by capturing them with the camera.
- Timeshift burst: Capture the perfect shot every time – Xperia Z1 takes 61 images in 2 seconds – a second before and after pressing the shutter – so you can scroll back and forth to find the perfect image.
- AR effect: Overlay a selection of customizable animations to create pictures using Sony’s SmartARTM augmented reality technology.
Sony Mobile have yet to announce pricing and availability details for the Z1 outside of a release timeframe set for sometime this month worldwide.
