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Sony Xperia Z1 Review - Apps & Performance Review

Michael Sawh By Michael Sawh
Contributor

Apps & Performance

A chunky but exceptionally well made phone. Apple and Samsung should be worried

By Michael Sawh September 4th 2013 3:45pm
Hand holding a Sony Xperia Z1 displaying the home screen.

Sections

Sony Xperia Z1 – Software

The Xperia Z1 runs on Android 4.2.2 so no Android 4.3 love just yet, but you still get plenty of the Jelly Bean experience. Like Samsung and HTC, Sony has put its own spin on the Google OS adding Sony branded native applications, software and widgets.  

You can still do all the things you’d expect from an Android phone like download apps from Google Play, navigate around five customizable screens, create folders, re-size widgets and access Google Now. 

Alongside the usual Google suspects, Sony has packed the Xperia Z1 with plenty of apps. The most interesting new additions include the Dropbox-style Box, the TV SideView app to view EPGs and extra content, the Google Keep-like Notes and Track ID and Track ID TV to detect music and TV programmes.

Xperia Z1 interface 1Smartphone interface comparison showing app layout and video player.

It’s definitely a mix bag of apps. Some will save you from dipping into Google Play, others you will definitely want to replace. The Walkman and Movies apps are still great and, largely, the entertainment focused apps are the most useful.

Productivity tools like OfficeSuite require a Pro account to really make best use of it and thankfully Google is now making this free to use. The Sociallife app, Sony’s take on Blinkfeed is not as well executed as it is in the HTC Sense UI.

What’s most interesting is the widget integration. When you listen to a song, take a photo or use Track ID to detect a song, a widget is automatically created letting you quickly view and launch the most recent content.

Xperia Z1 interface 2Screenshot of smartphone interface showcasing app management and media player.

Helping you manage apps without jumping into the settings, you can swipe left inside the app launcher to access a menu pane. Here you can organize applications alphabetically, pick your own order, or even put them in order of how much you use them.

Sony’s take on the Android OS on the whole is still very slick and matches Samsung and HTC for intuitiveness and for newcomers to the platform is very straightforward to get to grips with.

Sony Xperia Z1 – Performance

The Z1 joins the Sony Xperia Z Ultra and the LG G2 in getting a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor clocked at 2.2GHZ with Areno 330 graphics and it really impresses. It’s accompanied by 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (12GB available to use) and can be expanded by a further 64GB via microSD.

Xperia Z1 interfaceScreenshot of a racing game app showing cars and speedometer.

It doesn’t take long to realise that the Z1 is a seriously powerful smartphone. It’s actually one of the most impressive we’ve ever used. It comfortably runs Real Racing 3, and graphics look polished on the full HD display. Likewise, streaming HD content is handled with ease. Browsing the web and swiping through homescreens show no signs of lag or a delayed response. 

The benchmarks fully back the Z1’s power credentials. In the Geekbench 3 benchmark test, the Z1 scores a 2797 putting it well above the S4 (2076) and the HTC One (1716) in terms of performance according. In the 3D Mark Ice Storm Unlimited test the Z1 scores a 17258 putting it up with the Sony Xperia Z Ultra, which makes sense considering they share the same processor. On the web browsing front, the Peacekeeper benchmark delivers a 721 points score putting just below the iPhone 5.

We test every mobile phone we review thoroughly. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly and we use the phone as our main device over the review period. We’ll always tell you what we find and we never, ever, accept money to review a product.

Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.

Used as our main phone for the review period

Reviewed using respected industry benchmarks and real world testing

Always has a SIM card installed

Tested with phone calls, games and popular apps

Michael Sawh
By Michael Sawh
Contributor

Michael Sawh is a Freelance Journalist specialising in wearable and fitness tech. Previously Editor of Wareable, he’s also spent time manning the features section at Trusted Reviews and T3. His words …

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Why trust our journalism?

Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.

Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.

author icon

Editorial independence

Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.

author icon

Professional conduct

We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.

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