Sony to ship camera-focused Xperia XZ1 with Android Oreo next month

Shawn Knight

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Most major handset makers are moving in unison to bezel-less, curved-edge designs but not Sony. The Japanese electronics maker at IFA has unveiled the Xperia XZ1 smartphone, an upper-end mid-range (or is it, low-end top-tier?) device sporting some rather unique camera tricks in a chassis that’s unmistakably Sony.

The XZ1 features a 5.2-inch, 1080p HDR display coated in Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5. The experience is driven by Qualcomm’s venerable Snapdragon 835 SoC mated to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of flash memory (expandable via microSD card slot).

In terms of aesthetics, you’re getting the same boxy design with top and bottom bezels that Sony has long been known for. I suspect many will take one look at the boxy phone and eliminate it from contention although personally, I’m still not entirely sold on the bezel-less, curved-edge trend. In my limited experience, it sacrifices usability and practicality simply in order to “look neat” but that’s a discussion for another time.

The real star of the show here is Sony’s camera system.

The XZ1 utilizes the latest Motion Eye camera with a 1GB memory-stacked, 19-megapixel image sensor that borrows technology from Sony’s ‘α’ and Cyber-shot camera ranges. In addition to being zippy, the camera offers super slow motion 960 fps video capture, can produce 3D scans of people and objects in under a minute and a Predictive Capture feature to help ensure you get the perfect shot.

A 13-megapixel shooter resides up front that’s equipped with a 22mm, f/2.0 lens for selfies and the like.

It’s also worth noting that the XZ1 will come loaded with Google’s new Android 8.0 Oreo operating system and carry an IP68 rating against the elements.

Look for the Sony XZ1 to land on September 19 priced at $700 in your choice of blue, black, silver or pink color schemes.

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With that frame rate it should make a dandy slo-mo .... shoot, at that rate I might actually be able to play it back and hear what my X was always babbling about .... not that I necessarily would want to ..... :)
 
This is basically the Xperia XZ Premium but with a 1080p screen instead of 4k and 5.2inch rather than 5.5inch and a slightly smaller battery to boot. The rest of the specs are identical. INCLUDING the camera!

The lack of tablet announcement was really disappointing from Sony. It's been too long since the Z4. The large tablet market is stagnant.
I also wish Sony would release a new Smartwatch as well, I wanted to get one with my Xperia XZ Premium but Sony's last Smartwatch is old and won't be getting the latest Android Wear 2.0.
 
Funny how this squared-edge design is "unmistakably Sony" but looks just like the Nokia Lumia line, pre-950/Win10. And I love the design here, personally. Sony seems to make phones for people who need more than just another Droid or whatever, but it's too bad they don't have any WinPhones on the market now.
 
Does mobile phones stand for phones anymore?

It seems phones are advertised as anything but phones nowadays ...
 
I think, for that price is it worth to get a proper camera, if taking pictures is the main objective??
 
I think, for that price is it worth to get a proper camera, if taking pictures is the main objective??
It's more for someone who can't carry around a camera as well as a phone. We can't all wear cargo pants or carry a bag around all day everyday.
For me, it's great. I can leave my slr in the car knowing that I'll be able to get great shots with my phone (which I need to keep on me for work).

I've been waiting for a mid range sony to pickup, looks like they might be getting my money again!
 
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