After winning rave reviews at the global launch at IFA in early September, Sony Mobile Communications AB (“Sony Mobile”) has announced the Middle East and Africa launch of the 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 be available with leading retailers from October and will be priced at AED 2649 in the UAE and SR 2649 in KSA.
“The Xperia Z1 does Sony proud. Since its launch it has reiterated Sony Mobile’s market-leading position and constant innovation. Our aim is to offer the best experience – kando, the ability to move people. That is what sets us apart from the crowd. The Xperia Z1 is a premium phone that is well on its way to changing the rules of the game forever,” said Ruediger Odenbach, VP, Middle East and Africa, Sony Mobile Communications AB.
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 smartphones. 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.
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.
- 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 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 SmartARaugmented 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.
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 QualcommSnapdragon 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.
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 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 broadcasts a total of 10 minutes live 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
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.
Notable amongst the companion products is Sony SmartWatch 2 which has been making waves since its global launch along with the Xperia Z1. It is a second screen for your Android smartphone that, as well as enhancing existing phone functionality, offers unique new benefits. 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.
A typical smartphone user reaches for their phone many times a day to read messages, check the time, view and make social media updates, use their favourite apps, take photos, listen to music and play mobile games. SmartWatch 2 addresses this need by offering you a convenient touch screen device so you no longer need to remove your phone from your pocket or bag.
“Sony is the proud leader in the smartwatch market since introducing our first Bluetooth watch in 2007,” says Izzat Kittaneh, Business Director, Sony Mobile Communications Middle East and Africa. “Competitors are only now launching first generation devices, while we are already launching a 3rd generation device with all the insight gained from over half a million customers combined with Sony’s wealth of technology expertise to create the best ever smartwatch experience. The future of wearable devices is incredibly bright with analyst research predicting 41 million ‘smart’ watches will be sold by 2016. We have over 200 unique apps dedicated for Sony SmartWatch with over one million downloads to date and we are continuing to work with our strong developer network to deliver ever more compelling smartwatch experiences.”
SmartWatch 2 introduces new features as a natural successor to the current Sony SmartWatch such as NFC connectivity for one-touch pairing, stunning premium design and a range of technologies including higher resolution for sharper viewing, better visibility even in sunlight, longer battery stamina, more intuitive interface, standalone watch functionality and a wide range of pre-installed and recommended apps. It is available with leading regional retailers and is priced at AED 799.
