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[zomgbbqftw]

The one saving grace may be a Google Play Edition for the US, but it's just a hope at the moment based on Sony's strong relationship with them.

The Z1s is going to be $529 without a contract from T-Mo, and is fully compatible with AT&T LTE. On that basis a Z1-C GPE would come in at the same sort of price, maybe $499.

I hope one of the US carriers takes it up, but right now it's not looking good.

 

[gcubed]

I wish it was 1080p screen instead of 720p...



WTF is this true?!

doesn't surprise me

 

[Raonak]

Oh man, that's sleek looking.

Always wanted a phone in the xperia Z range. anyone got first hand experience with the waterproofness? does it work as good as it sounds?

 

[vivftp]

FYI - there is no T-Mobile release planned for this phone as far as I know. It is not slated for any US carrier as they all rejected it on the basis of being "too small and too expensive". It will be out everywhere else though.

The Z1s for T-Mobile is a 5" 1080p device which is basically the same as the Z1 but with 32GB and a central headphone jack.

Too expensive? Relative to what I wonder. I mean, is it more expensive than an iPhone 5S?


Anyways, damned nice phone here. Can't wait to see the next flagship and Ultra variant though.

 

[zerodayPopbot]

Z's look great in purple, too bad there's no purple compact.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

that's sony for you

always overcharging for their stuff

it's no wonder they're on the verge of bankruptcy

Koreans make better and more affordable electronics. even American firms do... this isn't the 80s anymore

Don't be ridiculous. The size of the phone shouldn't dictate the price. It is a full featured flagship phone and for that Sony should be able to charge full flagship price, possibly slightly less for the smaller battery size and lesser resolution screen. That makes it $499-549 offline, with a ~$420 wholesale price for carriers. The quality of the phone demands that price. Anything less and it's not worth bothering for Sony.

If you want to blame someone, then blame the US carriers for having such a narrow field of vision with Android, if it's small it has to be a cheap pos or it will piss off Apple is the thinking.

 

[injurai]

now be on verizon

 

[DrFunk]

now be on verizon

hahahahahahahahahhahaaaaaa

 

[zomgbbqftw]

.

 

[spwolf]

The one saving grace may be a Google Play Edition for the US, but it's just a hope at the moment based on Sony's strong relationship with them.

The Z1s is going to be $529 without a contract from T-Mo, and is fully compatible with AT&T LTE. On that basis a Z1-C GPE would come in at the same sort of price, maybe $499.

I hope one of the US carriers takes it up, but right now it's not looking good.

Sony said pricing will be between usual Mini pricing and Z1s. So lets see.

p.s. does the Z1s have microsd slot?

 

[Thursday War]

jesus that thing is ugly.

no thanks.

 

[DrFunk]

.

oh hey, Sony is using decent screens now

 

[tino]

I don't like the pink and the lime green colors. Deep purple is much better.

 

[roflwaffles]

Sony's skin is minimalistic enough that a Google Play Edition wouldn't be dramatically different.


Plus, you would lose out on the Sony Camera app which, although imperfect, is still way better than the stock Google camera.

 

[The Faceless Master]

The current iPhone is 1136 x 640 and even with a smaller screen has a lower PPI than this.

yeah, but that's the only high end iPhone, people don't have a choice if they want a flagship mobile handset that runs iOS.

 

[RM8]

This is exactly what I want. A beefy Android that is not huge. I've owned a Xperia SP since September and I still think it's too big

 

[midramble]

I have to admit, these sony phones actually have me considering a switch from apple. I've had apple for a while, but this looks great.

 

[Kiraly]

Cleaned up the OP a little.

 

[Celestial Mortal]

Wish iPhone was water proof

.

 

[IncandescentPrecept]

.

Yeah, that doesn't work.

 

[lefantome]

price? if it costs around 250euros it will be awesome


EDIT: 549euros? damn, so the rest is really high end

 

[WolfForager]

that's sony for you

always overcharging for their stuff

it's no wonder they're on the verge of bankruptcy

Koreans make better and more affordable electronics. even American firms do... this isn't the 80s anymore

Hold on now. How much is an iPhone in the US, $600+? They're €600+ here in Ireland anyway.

How the hell can Apple charge that much and be known as the evangelists of the tech world, while Sony is charging less for an arguably better phone and people make comments like this?

 

[HUELEN10]

Damn, if it had a 4 inch screen it'd be perfect! Still is great that they see a market for small phones though.

 

[Nikodemos]

"The world's premium compact smartphone"? More like "the world's only premium compact smartphone". Srsly nao, phone sizes have been getting redonkulous these past couple years.

 

[shikamaroooo]

that's sony for you

always overcharging for their stuff

it's no wonder they're on the verge of bankruptcy

Koreans make better and more affordable electronics. even American firms do... this isn't the 80s anymore

An Australian online retailer I use to buy phone from, sells the S4 for $649.95 (16 gig and 4G), compared to the Xperia Z $499.99 (4G), Xperia Z Ultra $589.95 (4G) and Xperia Z1 679.9 (4G). Lets not forget the Xperia phones have a more 'premium feel'

 

[Kiraly]

Damn, if it had a 4 inch screen it'd be perfect! Still is great that they see a market for small phones though.

I don't think any manufacturer will go back to 4 inch in any high-end smartphone anymore, even Apple with presumably the next iPhones. Check the OP for a comparison with an 5S, this is practically the same size.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

Confirmation, same price point as the iPhone 5C, £470. It will undercut the 5S by £80. Very, very wide availability in the UK, on every single carrier. Starts free on contracts from £27 and up in the UK, one tier lower than the Z1.

 

[HUELEN10]

I don't think any manufacturer will go back to 4 inch in any high-end smartphone anymore, even Apple with presumably the next iPhones. Check the OP for a comparison with an 5S, this is practically the same size.

I saw, and I still think that 4 inches nailed the max comfortable size; I actually have an iPhone 5 and even with my big hands, would not be able to fully 1-hand a screen any larger while holding the device comfortably.

 

[maquiladora]

This is my next phone. The main reason I haven't upgraded from my S2 is I love this size and don't want a bigger phone. This is perfect. Based Sony.

 

[Zeppu]

I saw, and I still think that 4 inches nailed the max comfortable size; I actually have an iPhone 5 and even with my big hands, would not be able to fully 1-hand a screen any larger while holding the device comfortably.

The area you need to reach for is even smaller than the one for the iPhone actually.

 

[Ovid]

Hold on now. How much is an iPhone in the US, $600+? They're €600+ here in Ireland anyway.

How the hell can Apple charge that much and be known as the evangelists of the tech world, while Sony is charging less for an arguably better phone and people make comments like this?

Sony was doing the same thing in the 90's and 2000's.

Apple positioned their products as top tier. As a result, they can charge a premium and get away with it.

 

[Tabby]

I can't believe it's took a company this long to release a premium phone at a smaller size.
Based Sony.

Not replacing my Xperia Z though.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

€499 in Europe! Confirmed.

 

[NekoFever]

Wish iPhone was water proof

You just need to install iOS 7.

 

[Kiraly]

€499 in Europe! Confirmed.

Not in the whole of Europe though, in Netherlands and Spain for example the phone will cost €549.

 

[Sickboy007]

Not in the whole of Europe though, in Netherlands and Spain for example the phone will cost €549.

In Italy too. Bah.

 

[Fezan]

People always complain about big smartphones and this is a perfect phone for them but i have a feeling it will not sell well at all

 

[Kiraly]

In Italy too. Bah.

Not that it really matters. I remember the Z1 having a RRP of €649, but even on release day it was cheaper than that at retail/online.

zomgbbqftw, do you know anything about the screen lottery this phone might have (http://www.xperiablog.net/2014/01/0...lay-lottery-affect-the-global-xperia-z1-mini/)?

 

[zomgbbqftw]

Yes, two panel vendors. They are almost identical, both are IPS with ~ 1400:1 contrast and similarly wide viewing angles.

There is no loser in the panel lottery this time. I've seen it in person and compared it to a Z Ultra, it is better than the ZU screen IMO, better viewing angles and slightly better contrast. They both had the same PPI as well at ~340 so they are directly comparable and IMO the Z1-C won out.

 

[Fezan]

Not that it really matters. I remember the Z1 having a RRP of €649, but even on release day it was cheaper than that at retail/online.

zomgbbqftw, do you know anything about the screen lottery this phone might have (http://www.xperiablog.net/2014/01/0...lay-lottery-affect-the-global-xperia-z1-mini/)?

no screen lottery if rumors are to believed.

 

[spwolf]

Not that it really matters. I remember the Z1 having a RRP of €649, but even on release day it was cheaper than that at retail/online.

What matters is that initial pricing is 20% cheaper than Z1, thats good.

 

[The Faceless Master]

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact vs Moto X - CES 2014

 

[samven582]

The one saving grace may be a Google Play Edition for the US, but it's just a hope at the moment based on Sony's strong relationship with them.

The Z1s is going to be $529 without a contract from T-Mo, and is fully compatible with AT&T LTE. On that basis a Z1-C GPE would come in at the same sort of price, maybe $499.

I hope one of the US carriers takes it up, but right now it's not looking good.

Its $619 through SonyStyle?? Is the America Z1 going to have a panel lottery as well? As for the Z1 compact not coming to US, I'm not suprised. Sony should just release a unlocked version with full LTE support here but I doubt it. Sony Mobile USA is run by a bunch of monkeys

 

[Aberrant]

We live in an age when 4.3" smart phones is considered compact...?

Fuck, that.

 

[zephervack]

At 4.3" 720p will look nice, better ppi than iPhone, really looking forward for this phone.

 

[LeleSocho]

Kudos to Sony, great move.
High end ~4inch devices are always welcome.

 

[reezoo]

JONY has arrived!

 

[Liberty4all]

We live in an age when 4.3" smart phones is considered compact...?

Fuck, that.

For me I feel that 4.5 inches is the ideal size. I have a Nokia 920 and I love the extra screen size compared to my old iPhone 4.

With that said, my wife got the Sony Xperia Z1 a week ago (she ended up taking it back for an iPhone 5S). During the couple days we had the phone I thought I'd like the 5 inch screen but it just felt so BIG ... too big. So for me 4.5 is about as large as I'll go. 4 Inches feels too small though ... I hated how much I had to squint on my iPhone 4.

I do wonder if the fact that my phone is Windows is also a part of what's "helping" me. Windows apps have really friendly font sizes ... I find on my windows phone I rarely have to resize anything provided the app has been designed around Metro philosophy.

 

[RM8]

4 inches is perfect for me. 4.3 is close, though I can't believe the trend is for smartphones to get bigger.

 

[Liberty4all]

4 inches is perfect for me. 4.3 is close, though I can't believe the trend is for smartphones to get bigger.

I suspect a part of the trend has to do with older folks. I loved my iPhone 4 (and still think it was a great size for carrying around), but as I got older the text is just too small. As alot of older folks hop onto the smart phone bandwagon they need bigger screens. I know I did. The difference from the iPhone 4 to Nokia 920 was night and day in terms of ease on my eyes.