As someone who’s owned iPhones for a really long time, there are certain bugbears I have about the technology that comes in my hand-held mobile device. Battery life, for one: I’ve never known an iPhone user who doesn’t get frustrated at the fact their iPhone loses power after approximately three minutes use.
Camera quality is another.
Ease of use is the most all-round important as my phone is something I use for hours daily.
Ultimately, all I need is a piece of tech that just works, from the camera to the battery life to the apps… I want my phone to be a help and not a hindrance to my day-to-day life, which is why I was excited to put the Sony Xperia XZ1 through its paces this month.
And I’m happy to report that the XZ1 more than delivers on all my battery/camera/ease of use tests!
Let’s get down to business: if you’re anything like me the camera in your smartphone will be the most important feature, so this is something I always look closely at when trying to decide on a new phone. Sony are one of the UK’s leaders in camera equipment and it’s clear to see they’ve applied their trailblaizing technology to the XZ1. For the photo aficionados out there, here’s what you’ll get:
– Super Slow Motion that’s visibly sharper than any you’ve seen before
– AutoFocus Burst so you can choose the best photo in an action situation
– SteadyShot for video stabilization
– Predictive Capture to make sure you don’t miss that perfect shot
– An outstanding auto mode so you don’t have to spend a long time adjusting settings to suit the situation requirements
– Wide angle front and back cameras
– An automatic selfie timer that’s operated by simply putting up your hand.
Genius! Taking the XZ1 out with me meant I could leave my actual camera at home, always a bonus: it consistantly gives pictures of a really excellent quality, even in low-light, and video footage that doesn’t shake. The AutoFocus Burst means that in the situations where there’s a lot of action going around you (i.e. every single day with kids!) I could ensure I’d captured the best photo out of many.
I made sure I snapped loads of photographs in what would otherwise be tricky lighting situations on a recent trip to Kingston-upon-Thames with the kids:
(They had a wonderful time, I promise)
The camera performed really well despite the conditions being completely iffy, and it seamlessly switched from mode to mode depending on the situation we were in.
I was particularly impressed with the selfie mode in low and artificial light:
Switching from IOS to Android was much easier than I expected too, with the interface being really intuitive, particularly if you’ve used Google products before. The integration with my existing technology was mega easy and I seamlessly hooked the phone up to my laptop (a MacBook), my Google Home and my Google Apps account as well as my cloud-based app services such as Spotify, Dropbox and Google Drive.
Sorted!
The Xperia XZ1 battery life deserves a massive mention here (well, it really deserves it’s own blog post I reckon). I have gone FOUR DAYS without having to charge this magnificent piece of equipment. Yep, that’s right, FOUR DAYS. Anyone with an iPhone will understand how bloody unheard of that is.
FOUR FREAKING DAYS.
I rest my case.
Here’s a wee video I made of the main features I’ve been enjoying on the XZ1:
Not trusting my own judgement, I asked a few friends on Instagram what they preferred about an Android phone, with superior technology, storage and battery life being two of the main reasons why people choose the Sony Xperia XZ1 over an iPhone.
Would you make the switch to Android?
See my first impressions post here.
This post is in collaboration with Sony, but all thoughts are my own.