For the past year I’ve been using a Sony Xperia phone, so when the chance to try out the new XZ1 arose, it was something I jumped at.  The device, which was launched at the IFA conference in September, comes with a 5.2 inch screen and super fast Qualcomm processor.

This is the same as the XZ Premium, and with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, it’s double the previous incarnation of the device and comparable with the XZ Premium.

I’m not a frequent user of the camera, but for those that are, it also features an upgraded rear Motion Eye camera that is capable of producing a 3D render of whatever you’re snapping.  The phone is also water and dust resistant.

Suffice to say, for most of my regular work, this is more than enough hardware, but where I think Sony miss a trick is in expanding the capabilities of the phone itself.

I’ve written numerous times about the growing power of wearable healthcare devices, and whereas Samsung have begun to build this kind of capability into their phones, the Xperia stays clear for now.  Instead, they focus on a range of audio features (which it has to be said, they do very well, and if music is a big deal for you then the phone is very well catered for).

Despite this however, it’s a nice phone and the all-day battery life promised by Sony is a plus, although it would have been nice for them to provide the wireless charging that is increasingly common.

All in all, it’s a strong effort at a price that is typically below that of both Samsung and Apple devices.  Whilst technically it doesn’t stand out against either of the above, for me it’s a good, solid, mid-market phone.