To recall, Japanese smartphone manufacturer Sony launched their premium flagship smartphone, Sony Xperia XZ1 last month at the IFA 2017 event in Berlin, along with company’s another premium mid-range models, Xperia XZ1 Compact and Xperia XA1 Plus. However, almost three weeks after the launch, the Japanese vendor is all set to launch its premium flagship Sony Xperia XZ1 in the Indian market on Monday, September 25. The company has already started sending out the media invitations for its latest Android 8.0 Oreo OS-powered smartphone launch event next week, which is scheduled to take place on Monday, September 25 in the land of New Delhi, India. At the launch event, Sony will be announcing the India pricing and availability of its premium smartphone, the Sony Xperia XZ1. Currently, the Sony Xperia XZ1 is now retailing in the US with a price tag of US$699.99 (approximately Rs. 45,000). In the Indian smartphone market, the Xperia XZ1 will likely to be priced somewhere in between the Rs 48,000 and Rs 50,000.
During the IFA tradeshow event, the company also promised that the Sony Xperia XZ1 will ship with Google’s latest Android 8.0 Oreo OS starting September. It will be the company’s first smartphone in India that will come pre-loaded with Android 8.0 Oreo OS.
Android 8.0 Oreo OS brings a vast array of new features and improvements including Background limits, Notification channels, Snooze notifications, Autofill APIs (Autofill, Font resources in XML), Picture in Picture (PIP) display for handsets and new windowing features, Web View enhancements, Java 8 Language APIs and runtime optimizations, Adaptive icons, Wide-gamut colour for apps, Support for high-quality Bluetooth audio codecs such as LDAC codec, Companion device pairing, Keyboard navigation and much more.
A few days ago, the Japanese vendor also revealed a list of smartphones, which will receive the Android 8.0 Oreo update pretty soon. The refreshed list includes Xperia X, Xperia XZ, Xperia X Compact, Xperia XZ Premium, Xperia X Performance, Xperia XZs, Xperia XA1, Xperia XA1 Ultra, Xperia Touch and newly launched Xperia XA1 Plus.
Recollecting some key specifications of the Sony Xperia XZ1, the smartphone comes equipped with a 5.2-inch full-HD TRILUMINOS (1920 x 1080) HDR display with X-Reality engine for mobile and a scratch resistance Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection on top. Under the hood, the XZ1 is powered by the latest and fastest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octa-core processor coupled with Adreno 540 GPU to handle the graphics. In terms of storage, the Sony XZ1 is backed up by a 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which can be further expanded up to 256GB via a microSD card. Talking about its software fronts, the Sony Xperia XZ1 runs on Google’s latest Android 8.0 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box (when it will be shipped). The Sony Xperia XZ1 also features IP68 certification that means it is a water resistance device.
For photography enthusiasts, the Xperia XZ1 houses a 19-megapixel rear camera with Sony’s new “Motion Eye” camera system (based on its new memory stacked 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS CMOS sensor for mobile) that provides 5x faster image scanning and data transfer. “Motion Eye” camera is capable of shooting videos at 960 frames per second, providing Super slow motion video playback that is apparently four times slower than other smartphones. Apart from this, the rear camera also supports features like an f/2.0 aperture, 5-axis image stabilization for shake-free videos, Anti-distortion shutter, and 4K video recording support and an LED Flash module. The rear camera also features 3D scanning mode that lets you capture an object into a high-resolution 3D image. You can also share this high-resolution 3D image on social media or even print via a 3D printer. Talking about its selfie camera, the smartphone features a 13-megapixel front-facing camera with 1/3.06-inch Exmor RS sensor featuring with an f/2.0 aperture and a 22mm wide-angle lens.
In terms of Connectivity, the Sony Xperia XZ1 supports single SIM (nano-SIM)/dual SIM dual standby, 4G with VoLTE, Bluetooth v5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (dual-band with MIMO technology), GPS with GLONASS, NFC a 3.5mm audio jack, and USB 3.1 Type-C port for charging and data transfer. The Sony XZ1 packs a 2,700mAh battery that supports Qnovo Adaptive Charging technology for fast charging. Sensors on the smartphone include a Fingerprint sensor, Proximity, E-Compass, Accelerometer, Gyroscope and Ambient Light Sensor. Dimensionally, the handset measures 148 x 73 x 7.4 mm and weighs 156 grams.
