Sony went ahead and launched two of their most awaited devices in the market today, the Sony Xperia Z1 (Quick Review) and the Sony Smartwatch 2. This comes right after Samsung’s event to launch the Galaxy Note 3 and their smartwatch, the Galaxy Gear yesterday. Along with the Xperia Z1 and the Smartwatch 2, Sony also showed off two of their detachable lenses — QX10 and QX100 — for smartphones. What surprised one and all was the availability; wasting no time, Sony said that the devices would be available today, i.e., 18th September onward, which gives Sony a head start.
The Sony Xperia Z1 was initially unveiled at the IFA in Berlin a few days back. The device managed to garner a lot of attention prior to and after its launch, which was expected. The Xperia Z1 would now be replacing Sony’s Xperia Z as their flagship device.
Taking a quick look over the specifications of the Xperia Z1, the device comes with the same 5 inch screen as the Xperia Z, with the same full HD resolution which comes with with Sony’s proprietary X-Reality engine. The device gets an upgraded 2.2 GHz quad core processor in the form of the uber-powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, while the amount of RAM stays at 2GB. The highlight of the Xperia Z1 is the camera, which at 20.7MP is bound to attract shutterbugs thick and fast. The device comes with an upgraded battery as well, in the form of a 3000 mAh unit which promises long hours of usage. The Xperia Z, on the other hand, had a 2330 mAh unit. A full comparison between the Xperia Z and the Xperia Z1 can be read here.
Sony have teamed up with network provider, Vodafone, to offer users 8GB of 3G data bundled with every Xperia Z1 device. The device is priced at 44,900 INR.
Devices like the HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4, and the upcoming Google Nexus 5 are expected to give the Xperia Z1 some tough competition.
Moving ahead to the Sony Smartwatch 2, the device which was known to be on its way was finally unveiled. The wearable smartwatch can be paired up with any Android smartphone running Android v4.0.3 and up. By pairing the smartwatch to your phone, you will be able to access your notifications like email, texts, etc. and would be able to perform actions like music playback control. The smartwatch comes NFC enabled which is a very handy addition. The smartwatch carries the IP57 certification like other high-end Sony products, making it water and dust resistance up to a certain extent.
The device has been launched for 14,990 INR, which is considerably cheaper than the Samsung counterpart, which looks like the only probable competitor at the moment. A full comparison between the Sony Smartwatch 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Gear can be read here.
Lastly, Sony showed off the QX-10 and the QX-100 lenses. These would be detachable lenses, and will come Bluetooth, WiFi and NFC enabled to ensure smooth pairing. The lenses will work with almost any smartphone of today. The QX-10 comes with an 18-megapixel Exmor CMOS sensor and an f/3.5-3.9 lens, while the QX-100 packs a 20.2-megapixel sensor, an f/1.8 aperture with 3.6x optical zoom. The devices have been priced at 12,990 INR and 24,990 INR respectively, and would be on sale along with the Xperia Z1 and the Smartwatch 2.
The lenses promise exceptional image and video quality with the mentioned specifications. Sony said that both the lenses will be able to shoot full HD 1080p video at 30 frames per second. Every video and image clicked using the lenses will be saved on your smartphone as well as on the local memory of the lenses. The PlayMemories app would be needed to be able to pair the lens with your smartphone.
Sony Xperia Z1 – Key Specs
| Model | Sony Xperia Z1 |
| Display | 5 inches full HD |
| Processor | 2.2 GHz quad core |
| RAM, ROM | 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM expandable by up to 64GB |
| OS | Android v4.2 |
| Cameras | 20.7MP rear, 2MP front |
| Battery | 3000 mAh |
| Price | 44,900 INR |
Sony Smartwatch 2 – Key Specs
| Model | Sony Smartwatch 2 |
| Display | 1.6 inches |
| Processor | 200 MHz |
| RAM, ROM | Not revealed |
| OS | Not revealed |
| Cameras | No camera |
| Battery | Not revealed |
| Price | 14,900 INR |
