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Introduction
The Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact is a rare breed - it's small on the outside, but big on the inside. Packed with all the latest hardware and having only a small screen to power, Sony’s latest super-mini may very well be the performance champion to beat. But whenever there is a superhero, there is a villain lurking in the shadows. So yes, the Compact has its own battle to fight that’s not all about size or speed.
Three years ago, the first Xperia Z1 Compact did the unthinkable, taking the then flagship apart and putting it back together into a smaller, nimbler package. Economy? Absolutely not. It was the performance package.
Sony eventually pulled the brakes with the X Compact last season but the XZ1 Compact is trying to make up for it and get back in the fast lane: the latest Snapdragon 835 chip, the flagship-grade Sony IMX400 camera with 960fps slow-mo vids, the elegant waterproof design, and Android Oreo right out of the box.
With a screen that size, the XZ1 has no business in the resolution race and the performance has the biggest gain. The XZ1 Compact is shaping up to be what the iPhone SE was to loyal Apple users and we can't wait to take this little beast out for a spin.
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact key features
- Body: 129 x 64 x 9.3mm, 140g of a glass-fiber-reinforced plastic unibody, Gorilla Glass 5 front, IP65/68 waterproofing
- Screen: 4.6" Triluminos display of 720p resolution (720 x 1,280px); 319ppi
- OS: Android OS v8 Oreo with the Xperia launcher and Sony multimedia bundle
- Chipset: Snapdragon 835 chipset: octa-core Kryo 280 CPU (4x2.46GHz +4x1.9GHz); Adreno 540 GPU; 4GB of RAM
- Camera: 19MP, 1/2.3" Sony IMX400 camera, f/2.0 lens, predictive hybrid laser/phase detection/contrast AF, burst AF, IR sensor for white balance, LED flash, dedicated hardware shutter key;
- Video recording: 4K video recording @30fps, 1080p @60fps, 720p @960fps, Steady Shot; Stereo audio recording;
- Selfie: 8MP, 1/4" front-facing ultra wide-angle camera with FOV120 and 1080p@30fps video
- Storage: 32GB of built-in UFS storage and a microSD card slot
- SIM: Single and dual-SIM models (region specific)
- Connectivity: Cat. 15 LTE; Dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, MIMO; GPS/GLONASS/Beidou/Galileo, Bluetooth v5.0; NFC, USB-C port with USB 2.0 support, 3.5mm headphone jack
- Audio: Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic; 24-bit/192kHz Hi-Res audio; S-Force Front Surround stereo speakers
- Battery: 2,700mAh non-removable battery, QuickCharge 3.0 support, Qnovo adaptive charging, Battery Care smart charging
- Misc: Fingerprint sensor (market dependent), stereo speakers
Main shortcomings
- Big screen bezels
- No HDR screen
- Low screen resolution
Although the Compact series have clearly evolved over the past few years, the screen resolution is still stuck at 720p. It's not that 319ppi is dismal but Sony should’ve moved on to 1080p instead of risk slipping behind the curve.
The generous screen bezels are something the entire Xperia XZ lineup needs to deal with. We wonder if they’re less annoying on a smaller scale or is it one of those things that are easier for a mini to get away with than a flagship.
Anyway, the real question is can the XZ1 Compact sell the super-mini concept to enough people in the times of borderless displays and pretty compact five-inchers. Let’s see.
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact retail package
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact comes in a midsized paper box, which contains the phone itself, a regular 1.5A@5V charger plug and a USB Type-C Cable. There were no headphones bundled with our Xperia XZ1 Compact, but we think this a regional limitation and things may look different for your market.
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact retail package
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact 360-degrpree spin
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact measures 129 x 64 x 9.3 mm and weighs 140g. Its 4.6" screen makes it quite pocket friendly, and if we are to compare it to iPhones, it's like the missing link between the iPhone SE and iPhone 7.
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
The Compact is somewhat thicker than most of the phones out there, but Sony managed to keep the profile reasonably thin at 9.3mm and we are fine with that.
Design
It's an Xperia, alright, and you can tell it immediately. Sony may have refined the design, but the signature "looped" shape is here to stay for yet another generation. Water-proofing makes a comeback washing the X Compact disappointment from last year. But for better or worse, the XZ1 Compact isn't built the same way the XZ1 is.
For starters, the XZ1 Compact is made of glass fiber reinforced plastic, which may sound like a fancy name to avoid saying it's all-plastic, but it's not a charade. This particular plastic is super sturdy, pretty scratch-resistant and should allow the phone to survive accidental drops better than any aluminum unibody phone as it's able to absorb the impact better.
You may have noticed the Compact doesn't have the same antenna lines as the bigger XZ1 model. In fact, it doesn't appear to feature any visible antennas. The XZ1 Compact indeed sports a much cleaner and uniform finish. This is a clear bonus from ditching the metal and going for a plastic back instead.
The top and bottom pieces of the Compact are made of metal alright.
The screen bezels are here to say, though. We are sure Sony did a superb job cramming all that flagship hardware into such a tiny body. And the maker claims it really needed the extra space to accommodate its signature side-mounted power button/fingerprint reader combination. We are perfectly fine with those bezels on such a small phone and it's easier for us to forgive them here rather than on the XZ1. We somewhat miss the bezel-less looks we saw on the XA1 series, though.
The Xperia XZ1 Compact feels really solid, and Sony did a great job with the finishes: toned down, yet playful for the Horizon Blue and Twilight Pink varieties and a more serious, formal look for Snow Silver and Black. And you do get to enjoy the color uninterrupted by antenna lines or plastic inserts.
As you can imagine, handling the Xperia XZ1 Compact is one of the most comfortable and hassle-free experiences we've had in a while. The small footprint and comfy shape allow the full range of one-handed operations, while the rather flat frame and matte finish make for a very secure grip.
Device overview
The entire front of the Xperia XZ1 Compact is covered by a Gorilla Glass 5 piece. Above the 4.6" screen is the super-wide 8MP selfie camera, the earpiece that also doubles as a second speaker, and a couple of sensors. There is also a tiny notification LED around, too.
Below the display is the second speaker behind a small dotted grille.
The Xperia XZ1 Compact • the selfie camera • the bottom speaker
The SIM and microSD card cover is the only thing on the left. Pulling the cap out will pop the microSD card, but for the nanoSIM you'll have to use your nail or another sharp tool. This setup means the phone doesn't restart when you need to pull out the microSD card because the SIM card stays inside.
The right side of the XZ1 Compact • the microSD tray
The volume rocker and the camera shutter are on the left. Also around is the power/lock key, which doubles as a fingerprint scanner. This feature works everywhere but the US - unfortunately but expectedly.
The right side • the power/locker keys
The audio jack and the second mic are on top of the Xperia XZ1 Compact. The USB Type-C port and the primary mic are at the bottom.
The top • the bottom
The 4.6-inch Xperia has the same 19MP, 1/2.3 Exmor RS setup on the back as the bigger XZ1. You might have seen it on the Xperia XZ Premium or the XZs as well. A single LED flash and the focus-assisting laser are also around.
The back of the XZ1 Compact • the 19MP camera
Display
The Xperia XZ1 Compact packs a 4.6-inch IPS LCD. Its 720p resolution stretched across this screen results in a pixel density of 319ppi - perfectly sharp by our books.
Despite sounding seemingly low in resolution, this panel comes with a slew of Sony's proprietary screen tech, including TRILUMINOS, X-Reality, and Dynamic Contrast Enhancement. The only thing which is, perhaps, missing from the list, is HDR support, which the Xperia XZ1 does have.
We did our screen measurements and found some minor differences between the displays on some of the units. The brightness of a few of our Compacts could go as high up as 600 nits, while on others - as high as 640 nits. The hike in the brightness would also bleed more light into the blacks so that you don't gain anything in terms of contrast on the brighter screens. The difference could be well due to the fact that the screens come from different suppliers but it's not a huge margin anyway.
Speaking of contrast, it's quite solid, but it's not that exciting.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0.515 | 640 | 1243 | |
| 0.49 | 602 | 1229 | |
| 0.382 | 703 | 1840 | |
| 0.40 | 656 | 1640 | |
| 0 | 618 | ∞ | |
| 0.77 | 618 | 804 | |
| 0.416 | 592 | 1423 | |
| 0.409 | 575 | 1406 | |
| 0.463 | 573 | 1238 | |
| 0.461 | 564 | 1223 | |
| 0.35 | 561 | 1603 | |
| 0.512 | 537 | 1049 | |
| 0.44 | 534 | 1225 | |
| 0 | 440 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 435 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 410 | ∞ | |
Sunlight legibility, on the other hand, is great - in fact we measured a contrast of 3.729 in our standardized test, which is among the best achievements by an LCD panel.
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Samsung Galaxy S8
4.768 - Samsung Galaxy S8+
4.658 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
4.615 - Oppo R11
4.454 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
4.439 - OnePlus 3
4.424 - Samsung Galaxy S7
4.376 - HTC One A9
4.274 - Samsung Galaxy Note7
4.247 - Samsung Galaxy A3
4.241 - Nokia 8
4.239 - OnePlus 3T
4.232 - Google Pixel XL
4.164 - ZTE Axon 7
4.154 - Samsung Galaxy Note8
4.148 - Meizu Pro 7 Plus
4.147 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy Note5
4.09 - LG V30
4.022 - Huawei Nexus 6P
4.019 - Vivo Xplay5 Elite
3.983 - OnePlus X
3.983 - Apple iPhone 7
3.964 - Oppo R7s
3.964 - Huawei P9 Plus
3.956 - Meizu Pro 6 Plus
3.935 - Lenovo Moto Z
3.931 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
3.918 - OnePlus 5
3.914 - Samsung Galaxy C5
3.911 - Samsung Galaxy C7
3.896 - Samsung Galaxy A5
3.895 - Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor
3.879 - Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor
3.873 - Samsung Galaxy A8
3.859 - Apple iPhone 6
3.838 - Sony Xperia XZs
3.818 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016)
3.817 - Motorola Moto X (2014)
3.816 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017)
3.812 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
3.804 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode
3.802 - LG V20 Max auto
3.798 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3.798 - Sony Xperia XZ
3.795 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
3.789 - Apple iPhone 6s
3.783 - Meizu Pro 5
3.781 - Microsoft Lumia 650
3.772 - Xiaomi Mi 6
3.767 - Sony Xperia XZ1
3.765 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.756 - Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
3.729 - Oppo F1 Plus
3.709 - Vivo X5Pro
3.706 - Sony Xperia X Compact
3.694 - Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)
3.688 - Apple iPhone SE
3.681 - Huawei Mate 9
3.68 - Samsung Galaxy A7
3.679 - Meizu PRO 6
3.659 - BlackBerry Priv
3.645 - Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
3.597 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3.588 - LG G6
3.556 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
3.53 - Motorola Moto Z Play
3.526 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
3.523 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) outdoor mode
3.523 - Acer Jade Primo
3.521 - Microsoft Lumia 950
3.512 - Oppo R7 Plus
3.499 - nubia Z11
3.466 - Huawei P10 Plus
3.456 - HTC U Ultra
3.453 - Samsung Galaxy J7
3.422 - Meizu MX5
3.416 - LG V20
3.402 - Huawei P10
3.379 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
3.378 - Oppo R9s
3.352 - Honor 8 Pro
3.341 - Oppo R7
3.32 - Lenovo P2
3.316 - Honor 9
3.289 - Xiaomi Mi 5s
3.276 - Nokia 5
3.261 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
3.244 - Xiaomi Mi 5
3.24 - Nokia 6 (Global version)
3.238 - Samsung Galaxy J2
3.235 - Sony Xperia X Performance
3.234 - Xiaomi Mi Note 2
3.228 - Motorola Moto X Play
3.222 - Oppo F3 Plus
3.218 - Huawei Mate 9 Pro
3.206 - Huawei P9
3.195 - ZTE Nubia Z17
3.159 - Lenovo Vibe Shot
3.113 - Motorola Moto X Force
3.105 - LG Nexus 5X
3.092 - HTC U11
3.089 - Huawei Mate S
3.073 - Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
3.065 - Sony Xperia XA1
3.012 - Sony Xperia L1
2.994 - Sony Xperia X
2.989 - Huawei P10 Lite
2.974 - Samsung Galaxy Note
2.97 - Sony Xperia Z1
2.95 - Huawei Mate 8
2.949 - Xiaomi Redmi 4
2.92 - Xiaomi Redmi 3S
2.913 - Sony Xperia XA Ultra
2.906 - LG G5
2.905 - HTC One S
2.901 - Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime
2.893 - Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
2.884 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium (sRGB)
2.877 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
2.877 - Sony Xperia Z5
2.876 - Nokia 3
2.871 - Microsoft Lumia 550
2.851 - Lenovo Moto M
2.813 - Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro
2.803 - Sony Xperia Z5 compact
2.784 - Meizu MX6
2.751 - LG V10
2.744 - Xiaomi Redmi 3
2.735 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
2.714 - Meizu M5
2.71 - Sony Xperia M5
2.69 - Huawei P9 Lite
2.679 - Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
2.679 - Vivo V3Max
2.659 - Xiaomi Mi Mix
2.658 - Doogee Mix
2.642 - Xiaomi Mi 4i
2.641 - Xiaomi Redmi 4a
2.635 - Xiaomi Mi 5X (Standard)
2.616 - Sony Xperia XA
2.609 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
2.582 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus (max auto)
2.582 - Meizu M5s
2.58 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
2.574 - LeEco Le Max 2
2.567 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
2.563 - Microsoft Lumia 640
2.563 - Xiaomi Mi Max 2
2.561 - Lenovo Moto G4
2.544 - Lenovo K6 Note
2.544 - Oppo F1
2.528 - Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
2.525 - Huawei Honor 7 Lite / Honor 5c
2.506 - Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
2.503 - Oppo F1s
2.481 - Motorola Moto G
2.477 - Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus
2.473 - Huawei G8
2.471 - Huawei nova
2.467 - Sony Xperia Z
2.462 - Lenovo Vibe K5
2.459 - Meizu m3 max
2.447 - Xiaomi Mi 5X (Auto)
2.417 - HTC 10 evo
2.407 - Huawei Honor 7
2.406 - Sony Xperia E5
2.386 - ZUK Z1 by Lenovo
2.382 - HTC 10
2.378 - Oppo F3
2.376 - vivo V5 Plus
2.371 - Meizu m1 note
2.362 - Huawei nova plus
2.329 - HTC One E9+
2.305 - Alcatel One Touch Hero
2.272 - Apple iPhone 4S
2.269 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2.254 - Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
2.253 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek)
2.249 - Sony Xperia C4 Dual
2.235 - Xiaomi Mi Note
2.234 - Motorola Moto G (2014)
2.233 - LG Nexus 5
2.228 - Huawei P8
2.196 - Meizu M5 Note
2.189 - Huawei Honor 6
2.169 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
2.166 - OnePlus Two
2.165 - HTC One X
2.158 - LG Aka
2.145 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (X20)
2.145 - Archos 50 Diamond
2.134 - Xiaomi Redmi Note
2.119 - Xiaomi Mi 4S
2.095 - Acer Liquid X2
2.084 - Huawei P8lite
2.078 - vivo V5
2.059 - Moto G 3rd gen max manual
2.026 - Xiaomi Mi 3
2.001 - Xiaomi Mi Max
1.996 - Sony Xperia E4g
1.972 - OnePlus One
1.961 - Meizu m3 note
1.923 - BlackBerry Leap
1.892 - Meizu m2 note
1.892 - HTC Butterfly
1.873 - Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
1.772 - ZTE Nubia Z9 mini
1.759 - Sony Xperia U
1.758 - Asus Zenfone Selfie
1.68 - Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen)
1.675 - ZTE Nubia Z9
1.659 - Jolla Jolla
1.605 - Motorola Moto E
1.545 - Sony Xperia M
1.473 - Sony Xperia L
1.351 - Xiaomi Redmi 2
1.311 - HTC Desire C
1.3 - Sony Xperia C
1.283 - Meizu MX
1.221 - Sony Xperia E
1.215
A host of Sony's proprietary display technologies take care that the stuff on the screen looks good. Triluminous is Sony's trademark for what is commonly known as a Quantum dot display, a variation of LCD panels that deliver a wider color gamut. It generates colors in a different way than vanilla LCD's.
On the software side, Sony does offer three different color gamut and contrast options. You can choose between Standard mode with moderately vivid colors, Professional sRGB option for more accurate colors, or go all in with Super-vivid mode. You can get a side-by-side comparison to help you make your choice too.
You also get a White balance option in the menu, where you can adjust the colors via RGB sliders but you need to have a calibration tool as you likely won't be able to improve anything going by eye alone.
The default mode is Standard, and here the XZ1 Compact screen produced an average deltaE of 3.9, with a maximum deviation of 8.5 in the whites, which is not bad to beging with. Excluding the bluish whites, the rest of the hues are pretty accurate, but you may get the feel of washed out colors. The Super-Vivid mode could help if that's the case.
Oddly, opting for the sRGB mode didn't change that much regarding colors, in fact it made the red and yellow hues even less accurate, while everything else remained quite the same.
Finally, Sony additionally offers the X-reality for Mobile engine, which only works on videos and makes them perceivably sharper by improving clarity on the fly as the video plays back on the phone. This feature, however, you can toggle either On or Off.
Battery life
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact is powered by the same 2,700 mAh that keeps the lights on in the Xperia XZ1. While the battery capacity was unexpectedly low for a flagship, the XZ1 and its Snapdragon 835 chip turned out quite well. There is also the matter of Oreo software optimizations, which seem to help the battery performance in standby.
The Xperia XZ1 Compact scored an excellent 108-hour Endurance rating in our set of proprietary tests. It bested all other Sony smartphones we have tested so far and this is one of the best ratings in our all-time chart! The XZ1 Compact pushed great browser and video playback scores, and its small display surely helped there. The call test and standby endurance turned out equally great, too.
Our endurance rating estimates how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Xperia XZ1 Compact for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritties. You can also check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
The XZ1 Compact supports QuickCharge 3.0 but does not ship with a QC-compatible charger on all markets. Our unit came with a bog standard 5V/1.5A plug, which restored only 28% of the empty battery after a 30-min charging session.
Just like the previous Sony Xperia Zs, Qnovo adaptive charging and Battery Care are available in addition to Quick Charge 3.0.
The Qnovo Adaptive Charging tech built inside recent Sony Xperia phones allows the smartphone to monitor the cell's electrochemical processes in real time and adjust charging parameters dynamically to minimize cell damage and extend the battery unit's lifespan.
Qnovo claims the battery should last hundreds of charge cycles more than a conventionally charged battery. This potentially means a year or so of extra longevity, as the battery performance deteriorates more slowly and should be able to hold more charge when it gets older.
Then there is Battery Care. Say you charge your phone overnight, and you regularly plug it in at midnight and unplug it at 8 in the morning. In time, the phone will recognize the pattern, charge the battery to 90% and then stop charging. And then at, say, 7:30 in the morning, it will pick up where it left off and top it all up to 100% at a slower pace, so the battery doesn't stay at full charge for prolonged time periods. This should further extend the battery's lifespan.
Battery saving modes
On the software side of things, you get a pair of battery saving modes. One is the regular STAMINA mode, which caps performance and disables a few non-vital background tasks. Then there is Ultra STAMINA mode for when you are far away from a wall socket. It disables Wi-Fi and data entirely and pretty much leaves you with the bare essentials of your phone.
Connectivity
The Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact is pretty decked-out in the connectivity department. Some variants come with two Nano-SIM slots, for extra flexibility. Sadly, Sony's solution, in this case, is a hybrid one, so it's either the microSD card or the second line.
Cat.16 LTE is capable of download speeds of up to 1Gbit/s, provided your carrier can step up to the challenge. Wi-Fi also has most goodies on board - dual-band, a/c. The same goes for the fast USB 3.1, Type-C data interface and the shiny new Bluetooth 5.0 radio, with support for aptX HD and LE.
Of course, there is satellite positioning as well, which should work great everywhere in the world, thanks to A-GPS, GLONASS and BDS support.
The phone doesn't coes with an FM radio.
Android Oreo with Xperia topping
One of the highlight features of the new Xperia XZ1 series, is the latest available Android 8.0 Oreo OS. Don't really expect a radical change in the UI of the device as most of the changes are under the hood, but they improve the user experience quite significantly. Long-term Sony fans should feel right at home with what is essentially the same Xperia launcher and overall light level of OS customization.
Sony uses a UI close to stock Android, and focuses most of its efforts in its in-house apps that come preloaded. This means the Xperia ROM is light on the chipset even if it's not as full of features as some of its competitors.
Since not much has changed in the UI itself, we'll try to keep our tour brief. Unlike some of its competitors, Sony is still sticking to the basics when it comes to biometric authentication methods. We already mentioned the signature fingerprint reader, which triggers an animation that slides the lockscreen away from your thumb (as if you pushed it out of the way).
If you have simple Swipe unlock enabled (without any PIN or password) you can tap on the Power button to unlock instead, provided you've woken up the device first.
Lockscreen • Lockscreen and unlock options
The lockscreen itself is nothing special. Be default, you get a clock and date widget and a pair of quick unlock shortcuts. You still get some level of customization, including a few different clock designs and some notification area tweaks. Of course, the standard Android unlock methods are present as well.
There is also the Android-native Smart Lock. It gives you conditional security - trusted nearby devices, locations, faces, or voices can allow you to skip the security protocol that you may have set up on the phone.
Smart Lock
The homescreen appears unchanged from previous Xperia generations. This includes the swipe down gesture, which shows a screen of the apps you use most along with recommendations for new apps to install. The search field is highlighted so you can start typing the app's name immediately.
Homescreen • Homescreen • App search and suggestions• Folder view • Homescreen settings
The traditional app drawer is present, and you'll find a number of proprietary apps pre-installed. Sony takes great pride in the A/V prowess of their devices, and the multimedia apps are all custom and feature-rich, but more on those in their dedicated chapter.
The app drawer lets you sort the apps by frequency of use, name, date installed or a custom arrangement. One new detail we noticed is the absence of Sony's traditional app management mode. Now when you long press on an app, the launcher gives you the ability to uninstall it or enter its properties page, as well as a list of in-app shortcuts and quick access features.
App drawer • App contextual menu • App contextual menu • Pinned homescreen shortcuts
If you happen to like something, the pin button brings the corresponding shortcut to the home screen. This is just one of the many Oreo goodies to be found on the XZ1 Compact. Most of these are buried quite deep, so stick around as we show you a few more in a bit.
Themes are available (both free and paid) that can customize the look and sound of the Xperia XZ1. Some themes are even interactive, with their wallpapers reacting to your touches. Besides themes, the Xperia launcher also offers wallpapers, grid settings and various transition animation options.
Launcher customization options • Themes
The notification area is plain Android. You can re-arrange the quick toggle tiles and adjust the screen brightness. What's missing is a toggle for Auto brightness (you need to go into the settings for that). It's the way stock Android is set up, but we miss that option there and Sony could have used the Oreo update opportunity to introduce it.
The app switcher is, a similarly vanilla Android affair, with the 3D rolodex look and an End All Apps button. The small apps are gone and are replaced by a Split Screen feature. If a running app supports split screen, you will be able to snap it at the top or bottom of the screen right from the rolodex. It's easy to use the split screen mode, but there is no way of knowing which app supports it - you have to start it first and then try to snap it.
No-nonsense task switcher • Split screen apps • Notification area is vanilla Android • Smart cleaner
The Smart cleaner feature will periodically empty the cache of apps you haven't used in a while. You can switch this off, but unlike previous implementations of the feature, an app whitelist seems to be missing here.
So, is that all Android Oreo offers? Not quite - as we said major advancements come under the hood, in the shape of Background limits optimization for better battery endurance and new API's. These include system-wide autofill and camera API optimizations that will take some time and development to get utilized by third-party app developers.
As far as more obvious new features go, there is Android Oreo's new picture in picture mode, which allows you to watch a video in a floating window while still doing other tasks on your phone. There are some players out there already capable of this, but we are talking about a core Android feature this time around. Currently, the YouTube, Chrome and VLC apps are said to support Oreo picture in picture.
Oreo picture in picture mode
Notification channels are another potentially big change in the Android ecosystem. Again, support is still limited to only a few apps, but certain Google products have already separated their notifications into categories, which Oreo allows you to handle individually. That means you can mute a specific one without having to silence the entire app.
Chrome notification channels • Gmail notification channels
Performance
The Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact comes with Snapdragon 835, complete with 4GB of RAM. Being one of the first out the door with an Oreo ROM does mean bumping into quite a few software optimization issues. We hope though that both Sony and the benchmark developers had time to get up to speed with the latest Android version.
The highlight in the performance section would be the 720p display, which should allow the XZ1 Compact to lead in the benchmarks on numerous occasions.
The powerful Snapdragon 835 naturally had no trouble chewing through every task we threw its way. That being said, let's kick off with a pure CPU benchmark. The XZ1 Compact is somewhat behind other S835 smartphones, but nothing critical.
GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy S8
1991 - OnePlus 5
1932 - Xiaomi Mi 6
1929 - Nokia 8
1925 - Sony Xperia XZ1
1840 - Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
1826 - Oppo R11
1596 - Sony Xperia XA1
887 - Xiaomi Mi 5X
868
GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi 6
6719 - Samsung Galaxy S8
6656 - OnePlus 5
6604 - Nokia 8
6568 - Sony Xperia XZ1
6541 - Oppo R11
5777 - Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
5596 - Xiaomi Mi 5X
4225 - Sony Xperia XA1
3611
Moving on to the GPU benchmarks. Quite expectedly - the Xperia XZ1 Compact is acing the onscreen test having big advantage over the competition with that 720p resolution.
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
60 - Apple iPhone 7
60 - Apple iPhone SE
58 - Xiaomi Mi 6
41 - OnePlus 5
40 - Sony Xperia XZ1
40 - Google Pixel (5.0)
34 - Sony Xperia XZs
34 - Huawei P10
30 - Samsung Galaxy
23
21
18
15
15
6.3
GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
50 - Xiaomi Mi 6
25 - Sony Xperia XZ1
25 - OnePlus 5
24 - Sony Xperia XZs
21 - Google Pixel (5.0)
20 - Huawei P10
16 - Samsung Galaxy S8
13 - Sony Xperia X Compact
12 - Nokia 8
12 - Oppo R11
8.6 - Sony Xperia XA1
7.9 - Xiaomi Mi 5X
3.5
The offscreen apps show the Adreno 540 inside the Xperia XZ1 Compact is as capable as any other Adreno 540 GPU out there.
Basemark X
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy S8
42370 - Huawei P10
39433 - OnePlus 5
38844 - Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
38820 - Sony Xperia XZ1
38583 - Xiaomi Mi 6
38541 - Nokia 8
37593 - Sony Xperia XZs
33815 - Google Pixel (5.0)
33023 - Oppo R11
20350 - Sony Xperia X Compact
15415 - Xiaomi Mi 5X
10403 - Sony Xperia XA1
9714
Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone 7
1547 - Samsung Galaxy S8
1189 - Apple iPhone SE
882 - Xiaomi Mi 6
861 - Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
855 - Nokia 8
855 - Sony Xperia XZ1
853 - OnePlus 5
796 - Huawei P10
716 - Google Pixel (5.0)
626 - Sony Xperia XZs
623 - Oppo R11
345 - Sony Xperia X Compact
241 - Sony Xperia XA1
191 - Xiaomi Mi 5X
138
Basemark OS 2.0 and AnTuTu seem to be a little less kind to the Xperia XZ1 Compact, but the result cards do resemble that of GeekBench 4.1 pretty closely. Granted, the XZ1 Compact seems to be near the bottom of the Snapdragon 835 bunch. The again, at the first BaseMark OS it appears to give Samsung's Exynos 8895 (S8) less of an edge in performance. Even less so for Huawei's Kirin 960 (P10).
AnTuTu 6
Higher is better
- OnePlus 5
180331 - Xiaomi Mi 6
177326 - Nokia 8
175872 - Apple iPhone 7
174532 - Samsung Galaxy S8
174435 - Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
157075 - Sony Xperia XZ1
144462 - Google Pixel (5.0)
141193 - Sony Xperia XZs
133574 - Huawei P10
126629 - Apple iPhone SE
123961 - Oppo R11
118677 - Sony Xperia X Compact
76731 - Xiaomi Mi 5X
63548 - Sony Xperia XA1
60707
Basemark OS 2.0
Higher is better
- OnePlus 5
3601 - Xiaomi Mi 6
3547 - Nokia 8
3503 - Apple iPhone 7
3416 - Samsung Galaxy S8
3376 - Sony Xperia XZ1
2986 - Huawei P10
2910 - Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
2818 - Google Pixel (5.0)
2461 - Oppo R11
2386 - Sony Xperia XZs
2386 - Apple iPhone SE
2163 - Sony Xperia X Compact
1738 - Sony Xperia XA1
1351 - Xiaomi Mi 5X
1246
Basemark OS II
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi 6
4402 - OnePlus 5
4300 - Nokia 8
4215 - Sony Xperia XZ1
3484 - Huawei P10
3393 - Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
3338 - Samsung Galaxy S8
3272 - Oppo R11
2961 - Google Pixel (5.0)
2901 - Sony Xperia XZs
2606 - Xiaomi Mi 5X
1377 - Sony Xperia XA1
1367
The Xperia XZ1 really does live up to flagship standards and the synthetic scores prove that.
But our real-life impressions are even better - this is one of the smoothest, if not the one, Androids we've played with and we aren't throwing this statement lightly. Having reviewed so many flagships - Galaxy S8 and Note8, OnePlus 5, LG V30, Mi 6 - we've always experience some tiny hiccups which stick and annoy us. Not on the Xperia XZ1 Compact, though.
The phone runs super cool under peak performance, is capable of handling literally anything hassle-free, and offers amazingly smooth Android operations. Yes, the Xperia XZ1 Compact is probably the fastest phone right now no matter what some score cards are telling you.
Phone
The Xperia XZ1 Compact has its call log separated from the contacts, but there are shortcuts from one to the other in the upper right corner. It can be filtered by missed, incoming and outgoing calls. Smart dial is supported too.
Dialer with smart dial • Call log • Phonebook • Favorites
Loudspeaker
We would take a stereo setup over a mono one any day of the week. However, there are certain drawbacks that come with most dual-speaker phones these days, primarily in the loudness department. Just like most of its siblings, the Xperia XZ1 Compact just doesn't have enough volume to impress.
In its default mode, the XZ1 Compact pushes an "Average" mark. Fiddling with options such as ClearAudio+ does seem to improve sound a bit, but S-Force Front Surround barely changes anything.
A thing to appreciate here is that unlike many of its competitors, Sony opted for a symmetrical setup, making for a much better stereo experience than blasting the earpiece on high.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing |
Overall score | |
| 61.6 | 65.5 | 67.6 | Below Average | |
| 64.1 | 65.1 | 69.5 | Below Average | |
| 63.6 | 68.0 | 68.0 | Below Average | |
| 62.9 | 65.2 | 71.6 | Below Average | |
| 62.4 | 65.5 | 73.3 | Average | |
| 65.4 | 68.0 | 69.1 | Average | |
| 64.9 | 71.0 | 69.0 | Average | |
| 66.4 | 70.9 | 68.4 | Average | |
| 66.2 | 70.5 | 72.5 | Good | |
| 65.7 | 70.2 | 76.9 | Good | |
| 66.1 | 69.0 | 84.1 | Very Good | |
| 67.7 | 70.0 | 83.6 | Very Good | |
| 88.0 | 77.1 | 81.4 | Excellent |
Notable apps
Besides email, Sony has some other app basics covered with its own solutions as well. The News app is a news aggregator, pulling stories from sources on topics of your choice. It can also issue two daily bulletins for you at a time you specify, so you don't miss out on current events. There is also a simple weather app, complete with nice animations.
News • News • Weather
Xperia lounge is Sony's own entertainment app, feeding you exclusive content and competitions related to music, movies and games. What's new is a similar concept, but it acts like more of a guide into Android applications, themes, games and more. It is a curated catalog of links to various other platforms, like the Google Play store, Audible, Amazon and others.
Xperia Lounge
Sony's health-tracking app Lifelog doesn't come pre-installed, though all it takes to download it is a trip to the Play Store. However, there is no shortage of third-party apps that do come pre-loaded on the XZ1 Compact. AVG Protection Pro is a particularly annoying one, since its usefulness is questionable to begin with, and it is also just a trial.
AVR Protection Pro
Sony did finally include a simple file manager in its ROM, which gets the job done. There is a basic calculator as well. The default Google app package should have you covered for most everything else.
Sony's Album is your gallery
The Album app that handles image viewing on the Xperia XZ1 Compact is among the most comprehensive and feature-rich gallery apps we've seen, and it's fast and easy to use.
At the very top of the list is a slideshow, showing off your photos. Lower down, the first photo of each month is shown at twice the size of other images.
Photos are organized by month, and you can use pinch-zoom to change the size of thumbnails (then they smoothly animate into the grid).
Album app
You can also browse photos on a map (you can manually add geotag info too) or by folder. This includes network storage so that you can view photos from a DLNA server (your home computer, for one). Then there's integration with online albums - Facebook, Flickr, and Google Photos (someone should tell Sony engineers this is no longer called Picasa).
The default Photo Editor app is quite powerful. Filters, frames, basic corrections, levels - all accounted for.
Photo editor
Movie Creator is similar to the Google Photos Assistant. It automatically creates short videos from the photos and videos you've shot. You can do it manually too: pick photos and videos, change their order, and add color effects and music (you get a small audio collection to start off with, but you can use custom files too). Then tap the Share button and send out your animated slideshow.
The Movie Creator can automatically or manually make shareable slideshows
3D Creator
There is a new Sony feature making its debut on the Xperia XZ1 and XZ1 Compact. It is not a camera mode, but rather a separate application called 3D Creator, though its advanced feature set is likely dependent of the Motion Eye camera and potentially a few other bits of hardware as well. The 3D Creator's purpose is the three-dimensional capture of objects for later use in things like digital avatars or even 3D prints. In its current state, it supports preset modes for a scanning a face, head, food, as well as a freeform mode.
3D Creator app
The process is rather fiddly, taking a long time and some awkward panning and hovering around the subject, but the results show potential - especially considering that it's all done without the use of specialized sensors or even a second camera. The calculation is done on the phone itself too, so you don't even need an internet connection. We are definitely looking forward to see where Sony takes this one.
Music app
The Music app is Sony's custom player that comes pre-installed on the Xperia XZ1 Compact and it feels like part of the same software package. The contextual side menu offers many of the same browsing options - by folder, network folder, and online services like Spotify (it's just a link to the Spotify app though). You can share music from the phone to compatible players.
Music app
The app can find the track's video on YouTube, look up info about the artist on Wikipedia, and search for lyrics on Google. It can also find and download album art automatically - all awesome stuff.
The Music app offers a variety of audio settings - ClearAudio+ determines the best audio quality settings depending on the track you're listening to. Then there's DSEE HX, which uses an almost wizardly algorithm that is supposed to restore - or rather extrapolate - compressed music files like MP3s into high-res audio. According to Sony, the result is near Hi-Res Audio Quality, but it only works with wired headphones. It also helps with streaming audio, but not Spotify.
Xperia XZ1 Compact equalizer settings
Dynamic normalizer evens out the volume differences across tracks, which is great if you've mixed multiple albums from multiple sources. While in this menu, don't forget to dive a step further into Sound effects. This is actually where virtual surround toggle for both the speakers and headphones are hidden. Both are also turned off by default. Of course, there is an equalizer as well.
There's no FM radio on the Xperia XZ1 Compact, which seems to be the case with most flagships these days. Also, Sony's proprietary song recognition app Track ID doesn't come pre-installed. It's still available to download from the Play Store, of course.
Video
The aptly named Video app might have lost its TV guide functionality fairly recently, but it still has a few tricks up its sleeve. Extensive subtitle customization support is one such goodie. Then there is also the ability to connect to compatible storage devices and read or even stream media in other directions.
Video player
That is likely the reason why background video playback is an option, but sadly, there is still no pop-out interface. It would be great if Sony could implement the Android Oreo picture in picture API at some point.
Audio output has its ups and downs
The Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact audio output is in line with most of its Xperia siblings lately. This means excellently clean output when used with an active external amplifier, but only average loudness.
Clarity degradation caused by headphones consists of a moderate hike in stereo crosstalk and a little intermodulation distortion. The volume drops a bit too and is now below average so it’s a decent, rather than impressive performance.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| +0.01, -0.02 | -93.7 | 93.6 | 0.0031 | 0.0081 | -85.5 | |
| +0.23, -0.21 | -93.4 | 93.3 | 0.0082 | 0.218 | -54.2 | |
| +0.01, -0.03 | -93.3 | 93.2 | 0.0028 | 0.0083 | -90.2 | |
| +0.23, -0.23 | -92.7 | 92.7 | 0.0077 | 0.216 | -55.6 | |
| +0.01, -0.02 | -94.3 | 94.3 | 0.0039 | 0.0068 | -90.9 | |
| +0.08, -0.03 | -93.9 | 93.8 | 0.011 | 0.110 | -68.1 | |
| +0.04, -0.00 | -92.5 | 92.5 | 0.0016 | 0.0072 | -92.8 | |
| +0.03, -0.03 | -92.3 | 92.3 | 0.0056 | 0.060 | -77.2 | |
| +0.01, -0.02 | -93.3 | 93.3 | 0.0059 | 0.0095 | -94.4 | |
| +0.01, -0.02 | -93.4 | 93.4 | 0.0067 | 0.020 | -56.3 | |
| +0.01, -0.04 | -93.0 | 94.8 | 0.0019 | 0.0080 | -93.5 | |
| +0.25, -0.02 | -92.7 | 93.0 | 0.192 | 0.175 | -59.5 | |
| +0.06, -0.10 | -92.4 | 92.3 | 0.0015 | 0.0093 | -80.9 | |
| +0.03, -0.11 | -92.3 | 92.3 | 0.0011 | 0.012 | -77.0 |
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
The 19MP Motion Eye camera is here to stay
Sony invested a lot of effort in its current flagship mobile camera solution and is not ready to give up on it yet. The XZ1 Compact borrows the excellent 19MP, IMX400 ExmorRS, a.k.a. Motion Eye camera from the XZ1, XZ Premium, and the XZs.
Of course, Sony did sprinkle a few new software goodies on top. What it didn't do, for better or worse, is go down the trendy dual-camera route.
There's no OIS either, the camera relying solely on EIS to keep things steady when recording video.
Instead of the usual 2-layer design, the new camera features a RAM chip sandwiched right in between the sensor and control circuitry layers. It serves as ultra fast buffer where the camera can temporary offload what the sensor captures without the need to wait for the storage to catch up.
This lets the sensor reads out the full 19MP resolution 5x faster, which prevents the nasty rolling shutter in photos of fast moving objects. It also enables the headline feature - 960fps slow-motion video! Most phones manage 240fps at best, but the Motion Eye allows you to go four times slower.
Sony went with a slightly lower resolution for the IMX400 (previous models were at 23MP), but kept the same physical dimensions of the sensor, so this has resulted into the pixels being 19% bigger. The aperture is one thing that hasn't changed for quite some time - it's still f/2.0, not the brightest out there, but decent given the ample 1/2.3" sensor.
Camera app UI
There have been some changes to the camera interface since the last time we saw it. Sony's 4K video mode is no longer a separate mode, and the option has finally been moved to its rightful position in the resolution dropdown in settings.
Speaking of resolution settings, you might want to go into settings and switch the default 17MP (16:9) one to 19MP (4:3), so you can get the highest possible resolution.
Camera UI • Auto • Manual • Manual • Modes • Video
We recommend using Superior Auto mode for most occasions as it has come a long way. Beyond adjusting exposure and toggling the flash and HDR, it can also do more advanced things, like detecting when the phone is mounted on a tripod and allowing for lower ISO/longer shutter speeds to reduce noise.
There is very rarely a need to go to Manual mode to lower the shutter speed for nice slow-shutter images, the camera does this by itself when stabilized properly. Still, Manual mode is the only way to get to manual HDR controls, or disable the soft mode that toggles every time the XZ1 Compact detects you are trying to make a portrait in Auto.
A handy and potentially shot-saving feature is called Predictive Capture. When the camera detects fast paced movement, it records a few of the moments before you press the shutter. So, if you were late in clicking the shutter button, you would be able to use one of those pre-cached shots instead. In the XZ1 Compact it also helps you catch missed smiles.
Predictive Capture is nice to have
Our real-life experience with the feature was mixed - it didn't kick in a few the times it should have. Still, it doesn't cost anything in terms of user experience so even if it only works occasionally it's still useful.
While on the topic of automated features with spotty reliability, autofocus burst is another novelty that is making its debut on the XZ1 series. It enables the camera to refocus between shots when doing a burst shot. It's not something you are going to need very often, but it can come in handy for snapping shots of your fast running kids or, you know, your electric scooter-riding colleagues.
Image quality
The Xperia XZ1 Compact camera samples are on par with its XZ1's in terms of quality. This means high level of detail, low noise, and no corner softness. The processing is very mature and noise in uniform color areas is kept in check. The colors are accurate, as is the white balance, and even the contrast is great. Even the dynamic range is superb across all test scenes.
The only place where noise suppression artifacts are visible is along contrasty edges, where the noise reduction is not as strong to help with definition. It's not a major issue and it's only visible if you view the photos 1:1 at pixel level.
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact 19MP camera samples
Superior Auto is typically very good at recognizing the scenes and adjusting parameters. If it detects the need for HDR, it will shoot in Backlit mode automatically. That's probably the reason behind the great dynamic range across all samples. There is manual HDR mode available in, well, Manual mode, but its switch is hidden in the advanced settings. The Intelligent Auto mode is doing a good job, though, so you will rarely need to switch to Manual only to shoot HDR.
HDR off • HDR on • HDR off • HDR on
The Xperia XZ1 Compact's camera handled the low-light scenes very well. There is enough detail, and while the ISO could have been lower (and thus the noise levels), the pictures turned out very pleasant and with nice contrast even when zoomed at 100%.
On one hand, there is the lack of OIS which means the camera can't shoot with shutter speeds less than 1/16s unless you mount the XZ1 Compact on a tripod and Intelligent Auto successfully recognizes the fact. But even if you make it a habit to go out with a tripod, the heavy-handed noise reduction, which ironically isn't doing all that good of a job of masking the noise itself and just smears detail, is quite evident. It's not a terrible performance by any means, in fact we consider the low-light images as perfectly fine on their own, they just lag behind the flagship competition when compared directly.
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact low-light 19MP samples
If you set the phone up on a tripod, the shutter speed in Superior Auto can go as low as 0.8s. You can slow it even further - to 1s - if you switch to Manual. We wish Sony allowed for longer shutter speeds (say, 30s) but long exposure shooting is a niche application for a phone camera anyway. Here are two flagship-grade samples in quality shot at the slowest possible shutter speed of 1s.
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact low-light samples shot at 1s shutter speed
We decided to snap a few side-by-side shots with the Galaxy S8 and then compare those to downscaled 12MP samples taken with the Compact. While the 12MP images by the Sony look indeed better once resized to lower resolution, they still aren't a match for the Galaxy S8's.
And here are the original samples.
Xperia XZ1 Compact (12MP) • Galaxy S8 • Xperia XZ1 Compact (12MP) • Galaxy S8
On a positive note, the Xperia took a much better photo of the scene with the longer 1s-shutter speed because at such low shutter speeds, the Galaxy camera activates an additional noise reduction routine which harms definition.
Xperia XZ1 Compact (1s) • Galaxy S8 (1s)
Finally, the panoramic shots the XZ1 Compact produces have a height of up to 3,500 pixels. Width is up to you, though, since you can stop the capturing process at any time. You do get plenty of detail and practically no stitching artifacts, unless you try to shoot moving objects. Oddly, the foliage in the pano shots is really soft - a complete opposite of the captured buildings and roads.
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact panoramic sample
Picture Compare Tool
Sony Xperia XZ1 vs. Xperia XZ1 vs. Xperia X Compact in our photo compare tool
Selfies
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact comes with a rather unique 8MP, 1/4" snapper with an impressively wide field of view. 120 degree, or a 12.5mm equivalent should be enough even for the most ambitious group shots. And in case that is a bit too broad to accommodate your regular selfie needs, there is also a toggle to bring it down to 80 degree (22mm equivalent).
8MP normal selfie • 8MP wide selfie • 8MP normal • 8MP wide
The selfie quality isn't magnicicent and sometimes the soft skin effect smears fine detail to awkward extent, but the wide shots are quite impressive just because they are wide. We are sure quite a few selfie fans will appreciate this lens.
More native wide 8MP selfies
Video recording
The XZ1 Compact borrows its video recording capabilities and prowess directly from the XZ1. Shooting modes include 4K with SteadyShot video stabilization and all the standards you would expect - 1080p/30fps and high-speed 1080p/60fps options. There is also a 120fps recording in 720p, and finally, there is the headline 960fps slow motion video recording - that's recorded again in 720p.
Historically, flagship Xperias have had no optical image stabilization, and neither does the XZ1 Compact. What it does have, however, is 5-axis image stabilization. Well, technically, the word axis might not be correct here, but the point is that Sony's system can compensate for translation along two axes and rotation around all three.
Shooting in 1080p/30fps mode gives you a choice between Standard and Intelligent Active options. It's this last mode that gets the headline 5-axis stabilization. Bumping resolution or frame rate higher than that (1080p @ 60fps or 4K) only gets you the SteadyShot Standard variety - 3-axis, but still does a great job.
4K clips have plenty of detail, great contrast, and accurate colors. There is no corner softness, while the noise levels are low. Processing is rather laid-back, in the sense that not much sharpening is applied. The final result is not necessarily to everybody's taste. Still, footage looks pretty natural and with a good dynamic range.
When shooting in 4K, the XZ1 Compact gives you a choice between H.264 or H.265 containers. The latter have a smaller storage footprint - a 30s 4K video is 200MB in H.264 but 180MB in H.265. Pixel-peeping didn't reveal any potential differences in quality between the two, unlike on previous models. It is worth opting for the newer and more efficient standard, especially now that YouTube supports it.
1080p videos come with very good quality and smooth framerate no matter if you opt for 30 or 60fps.
The playlist below has 4K videos shot with and without SteadyShot Standard, and a 1080p sample taken with Intelligent Active stabilization. As we mentioned earlier, the EIS stabilization is very good at getting rid of the shake.
The most fun feature of this camera surely has to be the 960fps slow motion video recording. The videos are recorded at 720p resolution and run at normal speed until you press the on-screen button that slows down time for a split second. The camera's buffer is enough for only a blink of an eye (0.18s), but a lot can happen in that tiny window when time slows to a crawl, and you catch the right moment.
Just like on the XZ1 and XZ Premium, the process to get to the 960fps video mode is rather complicated. You have to switch to video recording, then hit the slow-motion button, then start recording the video and then hit the slow motion button again at the moment you want. Realistically, this limits any hopes for using the mode to capture a surprise a moment.
Even if you go through the sequence, nailing the right moment is still quite hard as the camera doesn't start recording when you hit the button. Instead, it offloads what's already in its buffer, so it shows you the recording of the events that have already happened when you press the button. Once you get the hang of this, it becomes much easier, but getting the timing just right is still a hit-or-miss affair.
As far as HD resolution goes, the quality of the slow-motion videos is decent. Just remember that for such high-speed shooting, you need plenty of light. We can't stress this enough. If the lighting is anything but perfect, you will end up with very noisy footage.
You can download short untouched samples if you like - 4K (10s, 69MB), 4K (H.265) (10s, 44MB), 1080p at 30fps (10s, 23MB), and 1080p at 60fps (12s, 45MB).
Below you have the XZ1 Compact in out video compare tool as well.
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact vs. Xperia XZ1 vs. Galaxy S8 in our video compare tool: 2160p
Wrapping it up
Sony's engineers must’ve had more than a few challenges to deal with in delivering the Xperia XZ1 Compact to market fully prepared to take on any of the rival flagships. But there we are, this super-mini has everything the XZ1 and XZ Premium have except for the screen.
The good news is, the screen resolution lets the Compact get the best out of the cutting-edge Snapdragon 835 chipset and its Adreno 540 GPU. The bad news is… well… the screen resolution is pretty low by today’s standards. No two ways about it.
But it’s also a small screen by today’s standards – so it manages a decent 319ppi (vanilla iPhones have 326ppi). The signature Motion Eye camera is here to stay – with improved low-light capabilities, too. And that 960fps slow-mo video capture is still a treat we wouldn’t say no to.
Waterproof, stylish, comfortable - the Xperia XZ1 Compact is one of the most powerful smartphones around with one of the best single-camera setups. Plus, the 8MP super-wide front snapper puts a nice twist on group selfies.
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact key test findings
- Another refinement on the Xperia design and yet it's as recognizable as ever. The switch from metal to reinforced glass fiber plastic pays off in sturdiness and scratch resistance.
- The 4.6-inch LCD screen fails to impress in terms of resolution and isn’t HDR-compliant, but has top-notch maximum brightness and excellent sunlight legibility. The contrast could have been better, though.
- Battery life is excellent at 108h of endurance rating with great scores across our set of tests.
- The Xperia launcher has clicked with Android 8 from the first try. The familiar Stamina battery-saving modes and Sony's own multimedia apps are backed by a few new Oreo features, like notification channels and picture in picture video support.
- The XZ1 Compact lives up to flagship standards in CPU performance and aces the GPU scores. It does tend to occasionally score lower than Snapdragon 835 competitors, but real-life performance is silky-smooth.
- Just like most other recent Sony stereo setups, the one in the XZ1 Compact isn't particularly loud. Still, it is a lot better for multimedia consumption than a mono alternative and the balanced speakers sound quite nice.
- Audio quality through the analog jack has decent clarity but below average loudness.
- The primary camera produces detailed photos with improved corner sharpness and very good colors, contrast, and dynamic range. Predictive capture recognizes smiles now, although it's only kicking in half the time. The new autofocus burst is nice. The low-light performance has seen some improvement but still lags behind the current flagship competition and requires the use of a tripod to get the best out of it.
- 4K videos look good, 1080p likewise. 4K recording is no longer a separate shooting mode in the camera settings, yay! The 960fps slow-mo HD video recording holds a lot of potential, but capturing the right moment takes a lot of precision and practice, since you only have about 0.2 seconds to work with.
- The XZ1 Compact comes with a super-wide angle 8MP selfie camera. It lacks autofocus in comparison with the XZ1's 13MP sharpshooter. The 8MP selfies, both wide and regular, have plenty of detail and good dynamic range. Just keep the subjects well-lit and be mindful of the always-on skin smoothing (you can disable it in the settings).
Noteworthy alternatives
Apple's iPhone SE is probably the smallest premium phone available today. It's a good match for the XZ1 Compact in screen quality and performance, though the smaller screen, shrunken battery and awful selfie snapper might be big turn-offs. The SE is cheaper though, to be fair.
You can also opt for the 4.7" iPhone 8 which comes with an arguably better screen and an all-metal design, plus its main camera is great at low-light thanks to the optical stabilization. Apple's ecosystem is a completely different ball game though and the iPhone 8 is more expensive than the Xperia Z1 Compact.
Apple iPhone SE • Apple iPhone 8
The Huawei P10 isn't much bigger than the Xperia XZ1 Compact, but it offers a bigger, higher-res screen, a Leica-powered dual-camera with OIS and a bigger battery. On the other hand, the P10 has no waterproofing, no slow-mo videos, and no Android Oreo. Its GPU performance isn't quite on par, either.
Huawei P10
The recently released Nokia 8 may not be as small as the XZ1 Compact, but offers a class-leading 5.3" screen, the same Snapdragon 835 chipset, and an excellent camera experience with three Zeiss-certified cameras, a pair at the back and one up front. The all-metal Nokia 8 is just splash-resistant and not fully water proof but, on a positive note, it costs the same as the Sony and you can get it with more RAM and at least double the storage.
Nokia 8
The Galaxy S8 has gotten cheaper and still boasts an enviable spec sheet. It's obviously not as compact though and cannot match the GPU prowess unless you lower the screen resolution. When it comes to screen, camera and overall experience though, there is no doubt the S8 still has it.
Samsung Galaxy S8
Lastly, for some extra €100 you can upgrade to the big Xperia XZ1 with a 1080p HDR screen and a metal unibody. You’ll obviously be getting more screen and more pixels per inch, but also more bezel to go with them. And the identical batteries do have a sizeable difference in mileage. With identical talk and standby times, it’s the on-screen tests that tip the overall result well in the Compact’s favor. The battery life gap is even wider for the XZ Premium but the 4K display does come at a price.
Sony Xperia XZ1 • Sony Xperia XZ Premium
Final verdict
Sony is the only player left in the compact flagship game. So, is it a win? Apple had one successful entry, but it may as well be the last one by Cupertino. The rest? Well, the bezel-less race is on and it's much more attractive and entertaining.
As for Sony, it has a winner in the XZ1 Compact but some tough questions to answer too. If you give users so much horsepower and imaging capabilities, will they not want more screen real estate and resolution to enjoy them on? If the Compact had a 1080p screen it would perhaps have made the XZ1 redundant, wouldn’t it?
Now, the XZ1 Compact’s screen is about the size and resolution of an iPhone 7 or 8 – which is to say no worse than some of the best-selling phones around. Yet, from a purely Android perspective the screen size and resolution are some two-three years behind. What’s wrong – the size or the perspective? Can you blame Sony for focusing on the performance? Most midrange phones today come with 5-inch full-HD screens and offer reasonable speed and productivity. An edge in performance is a lot less tangible than a few fractions of an inch of screen diagonal.
In hindsight, last season’s Xperia X Compact isn’t such a disappointment after all. It had to answer the same questions and it did as best it could. But the XZ1 Compact deserves that much more credit for trying to restore the lineup’s reputation. Credit to Sony too for believing that it's not the size of the phone in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the phone.
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