Introduction

Squeezing your flagship smartphone in a tinier, sportier shell is the fad in Android these days. Not the one to blindly follow the pack, Sony has chosen to do things differently. The Xperia ZR didn't get as far down as the Galaxy S4 mini and the One mini, and got a 4.55" display rather than a 4.3" diagonal.

However, unlike its HTC and Samsung rivals, the Sony Xperia ZR is keen to match the oomph of its flagship, offering better IP protection at that. Considering how important dust and water resistance were for the Xperia Z' success, some may as well consider this one as an upgrade, rather than a trimmed down version. There's also the proper shutter key - the Xperia ZR comes across as the better photographer too.



Sony Xperia ZR official photos

The battery capacity has been kept the same, and it's even user-removable this time. Together with the smaller screen of slightly lower resolution and stamina mode, you get a smartphone that's not only easier to pocket, but one that will last more than the premium package. Now, how's that not a winning combo? Here goes the complete list of Xperia ZR pros and cons.

Key features

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support; 3G with HSPA; LTE

4.55" 16M-color 720p capacitive touchscreen with 323ppi pixel density; Bravia Mobile Engine 2

Android OS v4.1.1 Jelly Bean with custom UI

Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait CPU, 2 GB RAM, Adreno 320 GPU; Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset

13 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and geotagging, HDR

1080p video recording @ 30fps with HDR mode, continuous autofocus and stereo sound

VGA front-facing camera

IP 58 certification - dust resistant and water resistant

Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA; Wireless TV out

GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS

8GB of built-in storage; microSD card slot

MHL-enabled microUSB port

Bluetooth v4.0

NFC

Standard 3.5 mm audio jack

Accelerometer and proximity sensor

Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic

Main disadvantage

Below-par viewing angles of the display

Feeble loudspeaker

Low-res front facing camera

So, basically all you'll be losing if you chose the Sony Xperia ZR over the Xperia Z is some screen estate, the 1080p front-facing camera and the Full HD display. We wouldn't call any of those a deal-breaker, though: the smaller screen favors portability and, at this size, 720p is more than adequate. As for the video-call camera, most video-chat apps don't really support much higher resolutions anyway.



Sony Xperia ZR at ours

It seems then that Sony has another potential winner on its hands. The Xperia ZR might just be what the company needed to cruise through the next quarter and allow enough development time for the Honami and Xperia Z Ultra, which look like the kinds of projects they wouldn't want to rush.

We need to see whether the smartphone behaves as promised, getting the most out of an impressive feature set. We start with the full physical right after the break.