Lately we’re getting the impression that the latest trend amongst smartphone manufacturers is to wow the world with an all-singing, all-dancing smartphone and then launch a smaller sibling. Samsung has been doing it with the Galaxy S Mini models for a while now and this year HTC got in on the act with the HTC One Mini.
However, these miniatures tend to mimic the design of the flagship model but often offer downgraded specifications and often lack the most desirable features. A recently leaked image depicts what looks to be a Sony Xperia Z1 Mini, but it seems Sony will go against the curve by including the Z1’s flagship feature in the Mini: the 20.7 megapixel rear camera.
The image, obtained by Xperia Blog, shows a phone labelled the Xperia Z1 f next to the 5-inch Xperia Z1, looking mighty similar, save for the relocation of the headphone socket to the bottom right corner on the right edge with the Mini. We can see the same large Sony G lens on the back, which reportedly will be the same 20.7 megapixel sensor as its bigger brother, the Xperia Z1.
Reports also suggest that Sony will be porting over the powerful 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, which of course would be needed to power the rear camera and offer Sony’s rather impressive augmented reality options and other shooting features. The screen will be shrunk down from 5-inches to 4.3, with reports suggesting that screen quality will drop slightly from Full HD on the Z1 to 720p HD on the Z1 Mini.
Furthermore, Sony looks to be readying the phone in a range of bright colours, Nokia Lumia-style. Another image taken from a catalogue shows the phone in black, white, red and yellow alongside the Xperia Z1 in black, white and purple.
The leaked image comes from an NTT Docomo portfolio, suggesting that the new miniature will arrive on the network in Sony’s homeland of Japan. Whether it will make a worldwide appearance remains to be seen, but for those who want an excellent camera phone without the extra size associated with today’s top-end smartphones it could be a big attraction in the phone shop window.
