Brand new camera experience while retaining waterproof feature

We're live in Berlin with Sony at its IFA 2013
press conference, and the wraps have just been pulled officially off
the new Xperia Z1. As leaks have already indicated leading up to the
event, the Xperia Z1 looks to be the Japanese manufacturers late 2013
flagship Android smartphone.
The Xperia Z1 is completely waterproof, sports a massive 20.7MP
camera with improved 3x lossless digital zoom and several new camera
software improvements. On the front, we're looking at a 1080p
"Triluminous" display.
We now have the full press release and a few more images after the
break. We'll be going hands on with the Xperia Z1 a little later, but in
the meantime keep it locked to Android Central for continuing coverage
of Sony's announcements from Berlin.
Sony introduces Xperia™ Z1 – a stunning waterproof smartphone with a groundbreaking camera experience
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Combines the very best of Sony’s technology in a slim, waterproof and beautifully designed Android smartphone
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True compact camera performance through combination of Sony’s
award-winning “G Lens”, large 1/2.3-type 20.7MP “Exmor RS for mobile”
CMOS image sensor and “BIONZ for mobile” image processing engine
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Innovative suite of Xperia Camera Applications that deliver unique experiences including live social broadcasting
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Immersive viewing experience via Sony’s TRILUMINOS® Display for mobile and X-RealityTM for mobile
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Discovery of online and offline content through the integration of
Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited with Sony’s media applications
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Premium and exclusive out of the box entertainment offer from Sony Entertainment Network
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Unrivalled ecosystem of accessories and companion products
4th September 2013, IFA, Berlin – Sony Mobile
Communications (“Sony Mobile”) today introduces Xperia Z1, a premium
waterproof smartphone that combines the very best of Sony’s technology,
entertainment and wide range of companion products with a unique and
groundbreaking camera experience. Xperia Z1 will launch globally from
September 2013.
“Xperia Z1 represents a significant milestone for Sony in our
continued efforts to deliver unforgettable experiences to our
consumers,” said Kunimasa Suzuki, President and CEO, Sony Mobile
Communications. “Not only by bringing the power of Sony to the
smartphone and through close collaboration with our partners but by
setting a new standard in premium smartphones.”
The world's leading camera in a smartphone.
The elegant, 5” Xperia Z1 is the latest addition to Sony’s premium Z
series of products and brings Sony’s proven world-class technologies to
the smartphone like never before - including the very best of Sony’s
camera expertise. Xperia Z1 features Sony’s award-winning “G Lens” with a
27mm wide angle and bright F2.0 aperture, custom made large 1/2.3-type
CMOS image sensor Exmor RS for mobile with 20.7MP and a BIONZ for mobile
image processing engine. The combination of these technologies delivers
the same level of quality and performance as a conventional compact
digital camera in a slim, waterproof smartphone. Indeed, independent
testing has confirmed that Xperia Z1 provides the best overall image
quality of all leading smartphones1. This means that Xperia Z1 captures
beautiful, sharp and bright images even in lowlight conditions. High
shutter speeds and 3x clear image zoom also prevents shots from being
blurred while enabling them to be captured at distance.
Innovative suite of Xperia Camera Applications
Xperia Z1 takes the conventional camera experience to a whole new
level by including an innovative set of Xperia Camera Applications that
deliver new experiences. Applications at launch include:
Social live: Broadcast precious moments live from Xperia Z1 to Facebook and get your friends’ comments right on your screen.
Info-eye™: Innovative visual search function that provides related
information on landmarks and on items such as books or wine simply by
capturing them with the camera.
Timeshift burst: Capture the perfect shot every time - Xperia Z1 takes
61 images in 2 seconds - a second before and after pressing the shutter -
so you can scroll back and forth to find the perfect image.
AR effect: Overlay a selection of fun, customizable animations to
create pictures using Sony’s SmartARTM augmented reality technology.
This experience is supported by a robust ecosystem of established and
up-and-coming developer partnerships who are working to create Xperia
Camera Applications. Many more apps will be available through the Sony
Select recommendation store after launch.
Beautiful design with high power and performance
Xperia Z1 also includes all of the features consumers have come to
expect of a Sony smartphone. Its stunning looks combine Sony’s acclaimed
OmniBalance design with premium materials and precision engineering in a
slim waterproof and dust resistant smartphone (IP55 & IP58). A
solid one-piece aluminium frame with tempered glass on the front and
back ensures beauty and durability as well as a consistent viewing
experience from any angle.
Xperia Z1 features the fully integrated Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 800
processor with 2.2 GHz quad-core CPU and 4G LTE to provide a seamless
connected entertainment experience, industry leading battery performance
and amazing speed. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor features the
latest GPU and dual ISP for incredible graphics, 3D games and videos.
The Xperia Z1 also includes a 3000 mAh battery for a high battery
performance. Sony’s Battery STAMINA Mode automatically turns off
functions to save power when you don’t need them and restarts them when
you do.
Incredible out of the box entertainment with Sony’s media applications and technologies
Xperia Z1 integrates PlayMemories Online2, a cloud-based image and
video service that is integrated into the Album application. A new ‘All
Sync’ feature enables users to instantly auto-upload all of their photos
without storage limitation3.
Sony’s “WALKMAN” and Movies applications are also included and
provide access to more than 22 million songs on the “WALKMAN” app
through Music Unlimited and more than 150K movies and TV series on the
Movies app through Video Unlimited2 from Sony Entertainment Network.
Thanks to the inclusion of Sony’s BRAVIA TV technology, Xperia Z1
features Sony’s unique TRILUMINOS Display for mobile, creating a wider
palette of rich natural colours for an immersive viewing experience. It
also includes X-Reality for mobile - Sony’s intelligent super resolution
technology which analyzes each image and optimizes the quality to
deliver super sharp videos. Xperia Z1 also brings Sony’s audio expertise
to play with Sony’s ClearAudio+ which automatically optimizes the audio
experience without the need to adjust individual settings.
Xperia Z1 comes with an incredible entertainment offer that includes
five great movies plus an exclusive movie access pass to the digital
release of Sony Pictures’ summer blockbuster Elysium as well as a two
month free trial of Sony’s Music Unlimited4 streaming service plus much
more.
Xperia Z1 also features a new application called TrackIDTM TV5 that
enhances your TV-viewing experience. It lets users search, share and
explore information from broadcasted TV shows such as cast & crew,
biographies, filmography or show related Tweets.
Unrivalled ecosystem of companion products and smart accessories
Xperia Z1 is supported by an ecosystem of innovative companion
products and accessories. All are underpinned by Sony’s one-touch
functions with NFC technology which will number approximately 100
compatible products by the end of the year including TVs, headphones,
audio speakers, tablets, and more.
Key products include:
- Companion products to enhance the camera experience
- QX10/QX100: High-performance ‘lens-style’ cameras designed for
mounting on smartphones and operated through the smartphone screen – a
perfect partner for the Z1.
- Smart Imaging Stand IPT-DS10M: An intelligent accessory that helps
Xperia Z1 detect smiles and capture special moments without the need to
hold the handset
- Smartphone Tripod SPA-MK20M: A versatile tripod perfect for extra stability when taking pictures or capturing video
- A host of other companion products and smart accessories that enrich your smartphone experience.
- SmartWatch 2 – Use as a second screen for Xperia Z1. Read
messages, handle calls, easily access notifications – all from your
wrist. Trigger the Xperia Z1 camera shutter. Download other camera apps
to enhance the Xperia Z1 experience. Sony is working closely with
developers for even more optimised apps
- SBH52 Smart Bluetooth Handset – Splash proof wireless audio
accessory that enables you to listen and talk without taking out your
smartphone.
- MDR-10BT NFC headphones and SRS-BTS50 wireless speaker - New, high quality NFC enabled headphones and wireless speaker.
- SmartTags NT3 – Create a unique experience for your tag and share with a friend via NFC.
- Continually update the experience over time with the
Bluetooth Music Receiver BM10 – stream music and audio from Xperia Z1 to
your home Hi-Fi system
- Miracast Wireless Display IM10 – Mirror your smartphone display on your HDTV or projector
Xperia1 key specifications
- Sony’s “G Lens”: A lens with F2.0 and wide angle 27mm as well as 3x clear image zoom.
- BIONZ for mobile: Image processing engine with the algorithm from
Sony’s leading digital compact cameras. It ensures pictures have less
noise, fast auto-focus as well as high stable images for video shooting,
preventing shots from being blurred.
- 1/2.3-type Exmor RS for mobile CMOS image sensor with 20.7MP: high
sensitivity sensor capturing huge amounts of detail for sharp, crisp
images, even in low-light conditions.
- Dust and water-resistant (IP55 & IP58), with acclaimed
OmniBalance design featuring durable tempered glass and solid one-piece
aluminium frame
- Qualcomm Snapdragon™800 quad-core 2.2 Ghz processor, 3000 mAh battery, 4G LTE
- Xperia Camera Applications such as Social live which broadcast to
Facebook. More applications will be available to download from Sony
Select.
- Memory: RAM 2 GB, Flash memory up to 16 GB, Expansion slot microSD™ card, up to 64 GB.
- Available in black, white and purple colour variants