Sony Xperia Z1 Compact Philippines Price and Release Date Guesstimate, Complete Specs, Key Features

Remember Sony Xperia Z1 Mini, TP Friends? The smaller version of Sony's Xperia Z1 flagship that was supposed to only see release in Japan?

Well, it looks like the legendary Japanese company has decided to also bring that pint-sized powerhouse - albeit with a different name - to other territories around the world. Hopefully, they'd also launch it here in the Philippines.

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, Sony Xperia Z1 Compact Philippines

Donning a more fitting moniker, the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is practically the same as Sony Xperia Z1 - having similar OmniBalance design language, and set of innards and multimedia features - but flaunting a smaller 4.3 inch HD Triluminos display in lieu of the 5-inch Full HD screen of the original.

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, Sony Xperia Z1 Compact Philippines

This quality makes it different from its supposed direct competitors Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and HTC One Mini, which aren't only smaller than their flagship counterparts but also have less powerful or greatly reduced technical specifications.

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, Sony Xperia Z1 Compact Philippines

As I've shared in our previous Sony Xperia Z1 Mini post, this handset which has the Omnibalance scratch-resistant and shatter-proof DragonTrail-Glass-Aluminum-Gorilla-Glass-3-sandwich design identity and 4.3 inch HD Triluminos display "runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system skinned by the Japanese company's Xperia user interface (known for its darker hues) with its powerhouse Quad Core 2.2 GHz Krait 400 CPU and Adreno 330 GPU based Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 chipset and efficiently handles multitasking with 2GB of RAM. Users also get the same 20.7 MegaPixel autofocus camera with LED flash and the award-winning G-Lens, 2 MP front cam, 16 GB of internal storage expandable via microSD card slot, Full HD 30fps video recorder, IP55 and IP58 certification for being dust-and-water-proof, and LTE connectivity support. Sony Xperia Z1 Mini has a smaller non-removable 2,300 mAh Li-Ion battery pack versus 3,000 mAh on the flagship release but it's been reported that the former actually delivers longer uptime because of its less power-hungry display."

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, Sony Xperia Z1 Compact Philippines

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact comes in four luscious color options, including Yellow, and Pink -- reflecting the fact that Sony is trying to attract female consumers - who prefer a smaller handset that fits their hands well - to check out this release.

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, Sony Xperia Z1 Compact Philippines

As yet, we are still awaiting word from Sony Mobile Philippines on this handset's availability in the country. Off hand, though, I'm expecting Sony Xperia Z1 Compact to land here sometime in Q2 2014 with price tag in the area of Php 26,000 to 29,000 based on its SRP of $600 to $650 in other territories.

Update as of March 12, 2014: Sony Xperia Z1 Compact has just been officially announced in the Philippines. The smartphone will be available in Sony Stores and authorized retail partners across the country starting this month, March 2014, with official suggested retail price of Php 25,490, which is suprisingly lower than our Php 26,000 TP Guesstimate for the handset.

TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specs Table (TSTST)
Name Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
Type Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen)
Price Category Upper Midrange
Dimensions127 x 64.9 x 9.4 mm
Weight 137 grams
Available Colors White, Black, Lime, Pink
Operating System Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with planned upgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat
Display 4.3 inches (~341 ppi pixel density), 720 x 1280 pixels, Sony Triluminos Display, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, Scratch-Resistant and Shatter-proof glass panel
Processor Quad Core 2.2 GHz Krait 400 CPU, Adreno 330 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 chipset
RAM 2 GB RAM
Internal Storage 16 GB, expandable via microSD card slot supporting up to 64 GB
Camera 20.7 MegaPixels, autofocus, LED flash, 2 MegaPixels front camera
Video Capture Full HD 1080p 30 frames per second for main camera and front cam
Audio and Video Playback MP4, H.263, H.264, MP3, eAAC+, WAV, Flac player
Ports microUSB v2.0 (MHL), USB On-The-Go, TV-out (via MHL A/V link), 3.5 mm audio jack
Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP, EDR, 3G HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.8 Mbps; LTE, Cat4, 50 Mbps UL, 150 Mbps DL
GPS Yes, with GLONASS and A-GPS
Sensors Accelerometer, Proximity, Digital Compass, Gyroscope
Network 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, 3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100, 4G Network LTE
SIM Card Type microSIM
Battery Non-removable Li-Ion 2300 mAh battery
Uptime Standby of up to 670 hours, Talk time of up to 18 hours, and 94 hours of Music playback
Value-Added Features IP55 and IP58 certified scratch dust and water proof, Omnibalance Design, Xperia UI, Socialife
Announcement January 7, 2014 at CES 2014 in Las Vegas, USA
Availability Philippines: March 2014, Official
Price TP Price Guesstimate: Php 26,000 to Php 29,000
Official: Php 25,490