Meet the Sony Xperia Z1 – The 20.7 MP Smartphone with Waterproof Capabilities

Due to the many leaks and rumors that have continued to surface during these past several months, the fact that Sony has worked on a cameracentric smartphone was no mystery to us. Now, the time for leaks and rumors has come to an end, as the Japanese manufacturer has lifted the veil on the Sony Xperia Z1 – previously known as the "Honami".

Fans of the device have waited patiently for Sony to make its move, and we now have pretty much all the details we need to form a strong opinion about this device. Let's begin with discussing a bit about the hardware specs.

The Xperia Z1 boasts a 5.0 inch TFT Triluminos display with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 and a pixel density of 441 pixels per inch, it's being powered by a Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor clocked at 2.2 GHz, an Adreno 330 graphics chip and 2 GB of RAM. The handset also sports 16 GB of internal storage, as well as a microSD card slot which allows the user to expand the storage by up to an additional 64 GB. The entire package draws its energy from a 3,000 mAh battery that is said to provide up to 880 hours of 2G standby / up to 850 hours of 3G standby, or up to 15 hours of 3G talk time. The gadget runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and, as usual, the user interface has been altered by Sony's UI.

Now that we've got all that out of the way, we should take a look at the camera. After all, the Xperia Z1 is a so-called "cameraphone". The gadget features a 20.7 MP main camera featuring an LED flash, image stabilization and HDR, boasting G Lens and a 1/2.3 inch Exmor RS sensor with an aperture of f/2.0. The shooter is capable of recording videos in 1080p@30 fps, and it also delivers video stabilization. The main camera is accompanied by a secondary 2 MP front-facing sensor with 1080p@30 fps video recording capabilities.

The camera also comes hand-in-hand by a wide range of interesting software features, such as Timeshift burst mode, "All Sync", Info-eye (which is similar to Google's Goggles app) and Social Live. There are also a wide range of augmented reality effects which allow the user to implement 3D elements in the frame.

As far as availability goes, the Xperia Z1 already went up for pre-order on Sony's store in certain European countries, including France, Italy, Spain and Netherlands. The price tag revolves around €650 - €700, which roughly translates into $850 – $930. But, if you happen to reside in the US, then you should be able to buy it at a lower price than that. The handset is expected to be shipped by the end of the month.

I should also mention that the Z1 arrives in one of three colors, including black, white and purple, and it also take advantage of IP58 dust and waterproof abilities.

Is anyone impressed by the all-roundness of the Sony Xperia Z?