Sony Xperia XZ1 Smartphone – My First Impressions

If you follow my blog, you must know by now that I love gadgets! I am always happy to try any new gadgets and try to keep up with the latest technology. I am incredibly happy and super excited to be collaborating with Sony to test out the recently launched Sony Xperia XZ1 Smartphone. How amazing is that? I am excited to be able to test this phone over the next few weeks.

In this blog post, I will give my first impressions of the phone. I have had it for a few days now and have been able to test some of the latest features but still need to try everything. So expect a proper review about the Xperia XZ1 in a couple of weeks in a follow-up blog post. Hopefully by then I will be able to give you all the ins and outs of this phone.

This is the first time that I am actually testing an Android phone so I was very interested to see what features it has that would stand out from my current mobile phone. For me, one of the super important things I need in a phone (apart from being able to communicate with others, using cool apps and keep up to date with the news) is that it MUST have a good camera. As a blogger, this is so important. So knowing that Sony stands out in this area (number 2 in the world in terms of cameras) I was already excited to see what I could do with it.

Nick also loves gadgets and is a little bit of a geek, and will probably hate me saying that but this makes me like him even more. He was also very keen to test the Xperia XZ1 with me. It was great to hear his opinion on the phone too. He is quite tech savvy savvier so together we should be able to tell you if we think this handset is worth its £599.99. You can find more about the phone HERE.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I will now look at some of the key features and aspects that we have tried so far and what are thoughts are:

• EASY SET UP

This is, of course, a plus, especially if this is the first time you are using an Android phone. You only need to follow the instructions on the screen and “Voila” you are all set up! It also has a fingerprint sensor which is very handy to use too, however, we haven’t set this up yet as both Nick and I are using the phone, although I understand you can register upto 5 fingerprints.

• GOOD SCREEN SIZE

I am very impressed with the size of the screen. It is really good and you can watch videos and play games very nicely with this phone. Its effect when you watch something is very vivid and it makes you feel that you are part of it. It benefits from Sony’s BRAVIA TV technologies including a HDR display so it is amazingly good to look at.

• IT HAS A FANTASTIC CAMERA

Photo was taken with Sony Xperia XZ1

This feature will have to be divided into sub-bullet points because there are so many great things you can do with this camera. This phone has a sensor inside that is the same sensor as one of the latest £800 Sony cameras. So with this in mind, you can tell how good the camera on this phone would be.

With its latest technology Motion Eye, you will be in control of any shot and therefore you won’t miss any special moment because you will have more creative freedom with its manual focus and shutter speed controls.

• Better selfies in any light

Photo was taken with Sony Xperia XZ1

This is for me the highlight of this camera. This feature is amazing. One of the things that my current phone let me down a lot on is that my selfies come too blurry and too close to me. With this camera, you won’t have this problem at all. Actually, you won’t need a selfie stick anymore because the front camera has a 13-megapixel 22mm wide angle lens so you will be able to show a lot in a selfie shot. This is one of the problems we have when we want to take family photos! We have taken a few selfies during the last few days with this camera and we are super pleased.

Also, it will help you in all light conditions because it comes with a 1/3.06” low-light sensor and a display flash, so with all of this you’ll get the most outstanding selfies and shots in any light. How fantastic is that?

• Selfies using Hand Shutter or Smile Shutter

Photo was taken with Sony Xperia XZ1

This is such a clever feature. We have had so much fun using this option! I found it incredibly handy to use this. Now you can pose properly without having to worry about reaching the button with your hands. You only wave your hand or smile (you can choose which option you would like to use) and that’s it, your selfie will be taken! Yey! I love it!

• Super Slow Motion

This feature is out of this world. I absolutely love it. I cannot tell you enough how good this feature is! We have been testing it a lot and we are both very pleased. We recently attended the Vuelio Blog Awards and while we were dining there was an acrobatic ‘aerial silk’ show where 2 ladies were each performing on a long curtain. Nick thought that this would be a perfect moment to test it and OMG we got an amazing slow motion shot of one of the performers  coming down the curtain. It was stunning!

• Steady Shot 

This is another great feature. With this, you can capture clear, steady video whilst on the move. This is perfect when you are with your family travelling or moving around. During the weekend we went ice skating and shot a few videos of the girls skating around the rink so it was the perfect moment to test a video on the move. It was pretty good and definitely steady. I would like to try this feature more.

• Predictive Capture

This is very cool. When you take a shot you will automatically have the option of a few stills before and after the actual moment you pressed the camera shutter so you will never miss that perfect shot because this feature will allow you to start shooting just before you hit the shutter buttons.  It is very clever.

• Autofocus Burst

With this feature, you will capture a sequence of motion in sharp focus. It will burst 10 pictures per second. This is great when you need to get that perfect photo rather than a video, so you can have about 10 stills to choose from which means that you will definitely get the one you are looking for.

So far this phone has impressed us a lot. I have been taking it with us on our days out and to events to try it in different conditions and I am loving it so far! It has become my main camera at the moment. I am not taking any of my other proper cameras as I know I can capture fantastic shots and videos with it. It is so handy when you don’t have space to carry anything more than a small bag and also when you just want to travel light and uncomplicated. You will never miss any moment with this phone. You don’t need to leave the room to go and get your camera because the Sony Xperia XZ1 will do it all for you.

I will come back with more details about this phone in a few weeks but in the meantime, please check out my social media for updates regarding new shots or videos taken with this phone, on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Have you owned a Sony phone before? If so, what do you think of this features? Do you think having a stunning camera incorporated into your phone is a very important feature? If you own one of these phones, what else can you add to my first impressions?

If you would like to read what the other bloggers who are part of the same campaign thought about the Sony Xperia XZ1, you can read their First Impressions below:

• Island Living 365
• Cuddle Fairy
• Mum in The Madhouse
• The Mummy Adventure
• Someone’s Mum
• Let’s Talk Mommy
• Meet the Wildes
• More than Toast

*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with Sony and Tots100, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Love you all ❤️

Franca  💋

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