Following up on its Sony Xperia Z smartphone, which our colleagues at ITBusiness.ca tested and found to be both waterproof and beer proof, Sony is bringing a follow-up device to Canada: the Sony Xperia Z1.
According to Sony, the Z1, its premium waterproof smartphone model, will be available through Bell, Rogers and Telus in mid-October. It’s a 5” Android model powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with a 2.2 GHz quad-core CPU and 4G LTE. It will run Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean).
“Xperia Z1 delivers Canadians a powerful and sophisticated waterproof masterpiece crafted from premium metal and glass as we bring unforgettable experiences to life for our customers,” said Tim Hernquist, vice-president of marketing for North America, Sony Mobile Communications.
The Sony Xperia Z1 uses Sony’s OmniBalance design and is waterproof and dust resistant to the IP55 and IP58 standards. It has a solid one-piece aluminum frame with tempered glass on the front and back for visual appeal as well as durability.
As with the Xperia Z, Sony is paying close attention to the Z1’s camera. It uses Sony’s “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.
if you don’t like those camera specs, you can purchase the attachable DSC-QX100 Carl Zeiss lens. It will give you a 1.0 type Exmor R CMOS sensor and 3.6x optical zoom., for better pictures in low-light environments and high-speed image composing.
Another available accessory is the IPT-DS10M Smart Imaging Stand. In addition to simply holding the phone steady when taking photographs, it connects to the phone via Bluetooth and NFC with the phone controlling the stand, allowing for automatic focusing, tilting, and other controls.
Sony’s Xperia Z1 will be available in black, white and purple, although availability in specific colours may vary by carrier at launch. It has 2GB of RAM. Flash memory of up to 16GB, and a MicroSD expansion slot to and up to another 64GB.
