News & Reviews:   Sony Xperia Z1

After months of leaks and rumours, the Sony Xperia Z1 or previously known as Honami finally gets officially announced. Combining the best of Sony according to the One Sony initiative it puts in an awesome 20.7MP, F2.0 aperture 27mm wide-angle G Lens equipped camera sensor into a thin yet stylish glass covered smartphone. The smartphone itself is IP58 waterproof and features the now familiar OmniBalance design. The main focus of the Z1 remains the camera though as it packs in 3x clear zoom, a BIONZ image processor, super fast shutter to capture time and a dedicated camera shutter button. Other tech specs are equally impressive as it offers a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB storage, up to 64GB microSD, Android 4.2 and a 3000 mAh battery. According to Sony, the cameraphone has up to 14 hours talk time and also utilizes pixel-binning like the Lumia 1020. This pixel-binning seems to offer more sharpness and clarity rather than Lytro-like after zoom effects.

While we're still deciding if it's going to be called the Sony Xperia Z1 or Sony i1 Honami, rumours have come out that Sony are already preparing a Mini version of their rumoured cameraphone. While it will be packing a smaller 4.3-inch screen and 2400 mAh battery because of the smaller form factor, rumours indicate that everything else could be exactly the same with the bigger Sony Xperia Z1. This means that the tech specs for the Sony Xperia Z1 Mini or Sony i1 Honami Mini could include:

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB storage + microSD
• 4.3-inch display
• 20MP camera (Sony G lens, f/2.0 aperture)
• 2400 mAh battery

A number of rumours surrounding Sony's upcoming cameraphone, the Sony i1 Honami have surfaced and these include the fact that it may be called the Sony Xperia Z1 instead. Some rather low-resolution renders have appeared showing off the cameraphone in Black, Purple and White along with sample photos which confirm the 20.7MP camera sensor inside. Other rumours indicate that the phone's camera can also record 4K video and will come with Xenon and LED dual flash. Still no news about price or availability for Malaysia and as with all rumours do take these with a pinch of salt as it could very well be another unknown cameraphone waiting to be revealed.

Sony's upcoming cameraphone, the Sony i1 Honami supposedly got benchmarked with these scores appearing on AnTuTu with an impressive score of 30625. The benchmark seems to confirm at least two things about the cameraphone and this includes the fact that it may be called the Sony Xperia Z1 instead. It also confirms that the phone will be powered by a Snapdragon 800 processor as you generally get these types of scores with this processor. Still no news about price or availability for Malaysia and as with all rumours do take these with a pinch of salt as AnTuTu benchmarks have been known to be false before.