As was rumoured, Sony has followed the flock by announcing a miniature version of its latest top-end Android smartphone, the Xperia Z1, earlier today.
The new Xperia Z1f is a perfectly scaled down version of the 5-inch Z1 and we’re pleased to say that Sony has bucked the trend of cutting out the best features when making a ‘mini’ version and has kept some of the high-end features which make the Z1 great, including the 20.7 megapixel rear camera.
With a screen size of 4.3-inches the Z1f is likely to be a much better fit in the hand and keeps the same squared design as its bigger brother the Z1. The screen quality isn’t as sharp as the Z1’s Full HD goodness, though at 720p HD it’s not too far behind and is still very respectable.
Flip Sony’s mini flagship over and you’ll find the 20.7 megapixel rear camera with Sony G Lens and Exmor R sensor which debuted on the Z1 recently. With most ‘mini’ versions of our favourite smartphones often featuring slower processors, less memory and lower resolution cameras – Samsung is a big culprit for this – it’s a very pleasant surprise from Sony and should make the Z1f one of the most powerful mid-sized smartphones out there.
Speaking of slower processors, the Z1f doesn’t slouch at all in this department. Like the Z1, it features a super-speedy quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chip clocked at 2.2GHz. That’s paired up with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of inbuilt storage, plus connectivity in the form of Wi-Fi, 3G/4G, Bluetooth, NFC and Qi wireless charging.
As a recent leak suggested, the Z1f will come in bright yellow and pink as well as the standard white and black options. Bright and rather slick, Sony’s scaling down of the Z1 has resulted in a miniature which weighs in at 140g – a good 30g lighter than the Z1 but still rather heavy compared to most smartphones nowadays.
Finally, you’ll find the Xperia Z1f running Android Jelly Bean 4.2 with Sony’s latest lick of paint including themes and a selection of Sony branded apps.
Sony plans to launch the Xperia Z1f in Japan only on the NTT DoCoMo network from December. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for a worldwide release as this phone is shaping up to be the best ‘mini’ to date.