Sony Xperia Z1 |

Sony is starting to tease the Xperia Z1 regularly as we get closer to the IFA launch in under two weeks. Previously called the Honami, we originally thought this would be an entirely new branch of smartphones from Sony, but it seems it will be a continuation on the Xperia range.

The newest leak comes straight from the source, Sony’s Twitter account, showing a zoomed in shot of the Xperia Z1 G-Lens, set to come on the 20MP camera. Sony has added some niceties onto the camera to make it a competitor against the Nokia Lumia 1020 and Galaxy S4 Zoom.

Other features on the camera include optical zoom, we are not sure how much zoom will be available, the Galaxy S4 Zoom came with x10 optical zoom. OIS will be added onto the Sony Xperia Z1 reportedly, this is also available on the Nokia Lumia 1020.

Aside from the camera, the Xperia Z1 is just a revamp on the Xperia Z in terms of specs. It is expected to be waterproof just like the previous model, this may once again affect the display colour, many reviewers called Sony out on the screen for looking bog-standard compared to the HTC One and Galaxy S4.

The Xperia Z1 will come with a Snapdragon 800 CPU, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, 2800mAh battery and all the usual wireless connections, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi a/b/g/n/ac, LTE, NFC and possibly wireless charging. Design will be similar to the Xperia Z but with a 5.2-inch screen.

Interestingly, Sony is also developing a smaller variant of the Xperia Z1, named the Xperia Z1 Mini. Unlike previous “mini” editions to smartphones, the Xperia Z1 Mini will apparently have a 4.3-inch display, Snapdragon 800 CPU and 20MP camera, just like the larger variant.

If this smaller variant can be pushed down to the price of the HTC One Mini and Galaxy S4 Mini, that would be great for Android consumers who dislike the larger screen sizes.

The Sony Xperia Z1 is set to be a real top-of-the-line smartphone from the Japanese electronics giant, instead of just adding an impressive camera to a mid-range style device, Sony will make the Xperia Z1 a top-end smartphone.

Yesterday, it was revealed the Sony Honami may be a codename for the new smartphone, with the real name Xperia Z1. This would make more sense, considering it looks a lot like the Xperia and opening a new brand of high-end smartphones will only confused buyers.

Today, we get a first look at the benchmark scores for the new Sony Xperia Z1 and like expected it has hit marginally better than the LG G2, also running with a Snapdragon 800 processor. The Xperia Z1 has the same processor, same graphics card (Adreno 330) and same amount of RAM (2GB).

This means something on the software end is pushing the Xperia Z1 speeds above the LG G2. Both phones are admirably powerful and we doubt the end user will see any real difference, but it is worth noting LG may add more features and software to the LG G2 than Sony will add to the Xperia Z1.

The main feature on the Xperia Z1 is the camera, with a 20MP, f/2.4 aperture G Lens, Sony will add a camera to the Xperia Z1 capable of taking outstanding pictures, enough to rival the Lumia 1020 on Windows Phone 8. We believe Sony will add new software for the camera and programs to make images stable.

This does not mean the other elements of the device will be lacklustre, as we have already discussed the internals will rack up an impressive 30k an AnTuTu according to a new leak. The Xperia Z1 display is likely to be the same as the Xperia Z, a 1920 x 1080 full HD masterpiece.

Sony is expected to reveal the Xperia Z1 at IFA 2013, it is likely to be the premium device this year from Sony.

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