Display

The Xperia XZ1 Compact packs a 4.6-inch IPS LCD. Its 720p resolution stretched across this screen results in a pixel density of 319ppi - perfectly sharp by our books.

Despite sounding seemingly low in resolution, this panel comes with a slew of Sony's proprietary screen tech, including TRILUMINOS, X-Reality, and Dynamic Contrast Enhancement. The only thing which is perhaps missing from the list is HDR support, which the Xperia XZ1 does have.

We did our screen measurements and found some minor differences between the displays on some of the units. The brightness of a few of our Compacts could go as high up as 600 nits, while on others - as high as 640 nits. The hike in the brightness also bleeds more light into the blacks, so that you don't gain anything in terms of contrast on the brighter screens. The difference could be well due to the fact that the screens come from different suppliers, but it's not a huge margin anyway.

Speaking of contrast, it's quite solid, but it's not that exciting.

Display test 100% brightness Black, cd/m2 White, cd/m2 Contrast ratio Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact 0.515 640 1243 Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact (unit #2) 0.49 602 1229 Nokia 8 0.382 703 1840 Apple iPhone 7 (max auto) 0.40 656 1640 Samsung Galaxy S8 Max auto 0 618 ∞ Apple iPhone SE 0.77 618 804 Huawei P10 0.416 592 1423 Sony Xperia XZ1 0.409 575 1406 Sony Xperia XZ Premium 0.463 573 1238 Sony Xperia XZs 0.461 564 1223 Apple iPhone 7 0.35 561 1603 Sony Xperia XA1 0.512 537 1049 Sony Xperia X Compact 0.44 534 1225 Samsung Galaxy S8 0 440 ∞ OnePlus 5 0 435 ∞ Oppo R11 0 410 ∞

Sunlight legibility, on the other hand, is great - in fact we measured a contrast of 3.729 in our standardized test, which is among the best achievements by an LCD panel.

Sunlight contrast ratio

Samsung Galaxy S8

4.768

Samsung Galaxy S8+

4.658

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+

4.615

Oppo R11

4.454

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge

4.439

OnePlus 3

4.424

Samsung Galaxy S7

4.376

HTC One A9

4.274

Samsung Galaxy Note7

4.247

Samsung Galaxy A3

4.241

Nokia 8

4.239

OnePlus 3T

4.232

Google Pixel XL

4.164

ZTE Axon 7

4.154

Samsung Galaxy Note8

4.148

Meizu Pro 7 Plus

4.147

Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)

4.124

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge

4.124

Samsung Galaxy Note5

4.09

LG V30

4.022

Huawei Nexus 6P

4.019

Vivo Xplay5 Elite

3.983

OnePlus X

3.983

Apple iPhone 7

3.964

Oppo R7s

3.964

Huawei P9 Plus

3.956

Meizu Pro 6 Plus

3.935

Lenovo Moto Z

3.931

Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)

3.918

OnePlus 5

3.914

Samsung Galaxy C5

3.911

Samsung Galaxy C7

3.896

Samsung Galaxy A5

3.895

Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor

3.879

Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor

3.873

Samsung Galaxy A8

3.859

Apple iPhone 6

3.838

Sony Xperia XZs

3.818

Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016)

3.817

Motorola Moto X (2014)

3.816

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017)

3.812

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)

3.804

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode

3.802

LG V20 Max auto

3.798

Xiaomi Redmi Pro

3.798

Sony Xperia XZ

3.795

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)

3.789

Apple iPhone 6s

3.783

Meizu Pro 5

3.781

Microsoft Lumia 650

3.772

Xiaomi Mi 6

3.767

Sony Xperia XZ1

3.765

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)

3.756

Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact

3.729

Oppo F1 Plus

3.709

Vivo X5Pro

3.706

Sony Xperia X Compact

3.694

Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)

3.688

Apple iPhone SE

3.681

Huawei Mate 9

3.68

Samsung Galaxy A7

3.679

Meizu PRO 6

3.659

BlackBerry Priv

3.645

Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra

3.597

Apple iPhone 7 Plus

3.588

LG G6

3.556

Apple iPhone 6s Plus

3.53

Motorola Moto Z Play

3.526

Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)

3.523

Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) outdoor mode

3.523

Acer Jade Primo

3.521

Microsoft Lumia 950

3.512

Oppo R7 Plus

3.499

nubia Z11

3.466

Huawei P10 Plus

3.456

HTC U Ultra

3.453

Samsung Galaxy J7

3.422

Meizu MX5

3.416

LG V20

3.402

Huawei P10

3.379

Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)

3.378

Oppo R9s

3.352

Honor 8 Pro

3.341

Oppo R7

3.32

Lenovo P2

3.316

Honor 9

3.289

Xiaomi Mi 5s

3.276

Nokia 5

3.261

Nokia 6 (Chinese version)

3.244

Xiaomi Mi 5

3.24

Nokia 6 (Global version)

3.238

Samsung Galaxy J2

3.235

Sony Xperia X Performance

3.234

Xiaomi Mi Note 2

3.228

Motorola Moto X Play

3.222

Oppo F3 Plus

3.218

Huawei Mate 9 Pro

3.206

Huawei P9

3.195

ZTE Nubia Z17

3.159

Lenovo Vibe Shot

3.113

Motorola Moto X Force

3.105

LG Nexus 5X

3.092

HTC U11

3.089

Huawei Mate S

3.073

Microsoft Lumia 640 XL

3.065

Sony Xperia XA1

3.012

Sony Xperia L1

2.994

Sony Xperia X

2.989

Huawei P10 Lite

2.974

Samsung Galaxy Note

2.97

Sony Xperia Z1

2.95

Huawei Mate 8

2.949

Xiaomi Redmi 4

2.92

Xiaomi Redmi 3S

2.913

Sony Xperia XA Ultra

2.906

LG G5

2.905

HTC One S

2.901

Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime

2.893

Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus

2.884

Sony Xperia XZ Premium (sRGB)

2.877

Sony Xperia XZ Premium

2.877

Sony Xperia Z5

2.876

Nokia 3

2.871

Microsoft Lumia 550

2.851

Lenovo Moto M

2.813

Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro

2.803

Sony Xperia Z5 compact

2.784

Meizu MX6

2.751

LG V10

2.744

Xiaomi Redmi 3

2.735

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)

2.714

Meizu M5

2.71

Sony Xperia M5

2.69

Huawei P9 Lite

2.679

Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime

2.679

Vivo V3Max

2.659

Xiaomi Mi Mix

2.658

Doogee Mix

2.642

Xiaomi Mi 4i

2.641

Xiaomi Redmi 4a

2.635

Xiaomi Mi 5X (Standard)

2.616

Sony Xperia XA

2.609

Motorola Moto G4 Plus

2.582

Motorola Moto G4 Plus (max auto)

2.582

Meizu M5s

2.58

Xiaomi Mi 4c

2.574

LeEco Le Max 2

2.567

Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL

2.563

Microsoft Lumia 640

2.563

Xiaomi Mi Max 2

2.561

Lenovo Moto G4

2.544

Lenovo K6 Note

2.544

Oppo F1

2.528

Sony Xperia Z5 Premium

2.525

Huawei Honor 7 Lite / Honor 5c

2.506

Sony Xperia M4 Aqua

2.503

Oppo F1s

2.481

Motorola Moto G

2.477

Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus

2.473

Huawei G8

2.471

Huawei nova

2.467

Sony Xperia Z

2.462

Lenovo Vibe K5

2.459

Meizu m3 max

2.447

Xiaomi Mi 5X (Auto)

2.417

HTC 10 evo

2.407

Huawei Honor 7

2.406

Sony Xperia E5

2.386

ZUK Z1 by Lenovo

2.382

HTC 10

2.378

Oppo F3

2.376

vivo V5 Plus

2.371

Meizu m1 note

2.362

Huawei nova plus

2.329

HTC One E9+

2.305

Alcatel One Touch Hero

2.272

Apple iPhone 4S

2.269

Lenovo Vibe K4 Note

2.254

Sony Xperia C5 Ultra

2.253

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek)

2.249

Sony Xperia C4 Dual

2.235

Xiaomi Mi Note

2.234

Motorola Moto G (2014)

2.233

LG Nexus 5

2.228

Huawei P8

2.196

Meizu M5 Note

2.189

Huawei Honor 6

2.169

Xiaomi Redmi Note 2

2.166

OnePlus Two

2.165

HTC One X

2.158

LG Aka

2.145

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (X20)

2.145

Archos 50 Diamond

2.134

Xiaomi Redmi Note

2.119

Xiaomi Mi 4S

2.095

Acer Liquid X2

2.084

Huawei P8lite

2.078

vivo V5

2.059

Moto G 3rd gen max manual

2.026

Xiaomi Mi 3

2.001

Xiaomi Mi Max

1.996

Sony Xperia E4g

1.972

OnePlus One

1.961

Meizu m3 note

1.923

BlackBerry Leap

1.892

Meizu m2 note

1.892

HTC Butterfly

1.873

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact

1.772

ZTE Nubia Z9 mini

1.759

Sony Xperia U

1.758

Asus Zenfone Selfie

1.68

Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen)

1.675

ZTE Nubia Z9

1.659

Jolla Jolla

1.605

Motorola Moto E

1.545

Sony Xperia M

1.473

Sony Xperia L

1.351

Xiaomi Redmi 2

1.311

HTC Desire C

1.3

Sony Xperia C

1.283

Meizu MX

1.221

Sony Xperia E

1.215

A host of Sony's proprietary display technologies make sure that the stuff on the screen looks good. Triluminous is Sony's trademark for what is commonly known as a Quantum dot display, a variation of LCD panels that deliver a wider color gamut. It generates colors in a different way than vanilla LCDs.

On the software side, Sony does offer three different color gamut and contrast options. You can choose between Standard mode with moderately vivid colors, Professional sRGB option for more accurate colors, or go all in with Super-vivid mode. You can get a side-by-side comparison to help you make your choice too.

You also get a White balance option in the menu, where you can adjust the colors via RGB sliders but you need to have a calibration tool as you likely won't be able to improve anything going by eye alone.

The default mode is Standard, and here the XZ1 Compact screen produced an average deltaE of 3.9, with a maximum deviation of 8.5 in the whites, which is not bad to beging with. Excluding the bluish whites, the rest of the hues are pretty accurate, but you may get the feel of washed out colors. The Super-Vivid mode could help if that's the case.

Oddly, opting for the sRGB mode didn't change that much regarding colors, in fact it made the red and yellow hues even less accurate, while everything else remained quite the same.

Finally, Sony additionally offers the X-reality for Mobile engine, which only works on videos and makes them perceivably sharper by improving clarity on the fly as the video plays back on the phone. This feature, however, you can toggle either On or Off.

Battery life

The Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact is powered by the same 2,700 mAh that keeps the lights on in the Xperia XZ1. While the battery capacity was unexpectedly low for a flagship, the XZ1 and its Snapdragon 835 chip turned out quite well. There is also the matter of Oreo software optimizations, which seem to help the battery performance in standby.

The Xperia XZ1 Compact scored an excellent 108-hour Endurance rating in our set of proprietary tests. It bested all other Sony smartphones we have tested so far, and this is one of the best ratings in our all-time chart! The XZ1 Compact pushed great browser and video playback scores, and its small display surely helped there. The call test and standby endurance turned out equally great, too.

Our endurance rating estimates how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Xperia XZ1 Compact for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritties. You can also check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.

The XZ1 Compact supports QuickCharge 3.0 but does not ship with a QC-compatible charger on all markets. Our unit came with a bog standard 5V/1.5A plug, which restored only 28% of the empty battery after a 30-min charging session.

Just like the previous Sony Xperia Zs, Qnovo adaptive charging and Battery Care are available in addition to Quick Charge 3.0.

The Qnovo Adaptive Charging tech built inside recent Sony Xperia phones allows the smartphone to monitor the cell's electrochemical processes in real time and adjust charging parameters dynamically to minimize cell damage and extend the battery unit's lifespan.

Qnovo claims that the battery should last hundreds of charge cycles more than a conventionally charged battery. This potentially means a year or so of extra longevity, as the battery performance deteriorates more slowly and should be able to hold more charge when it gets older.

Then there is Battery Care. Say you charge your phone overnight, and you regularly plug it in at midnight and unplug it at 8 in the morning. In time, the phone will recognize the pattern, charge the battery to 90% and then stop charging. And then at, say, 7:30 in the morning, it will pick up where it left off and top it all up to 100% at a slower pace, so the battery doesn't stay at full charge for prolonged time periods. This should further extend the battery's lifespan.



Battery saving modes

On the software side of things, you get a pair of battery saving modes. One is the regular STAMINA mode, which caps performance and disables a few non-vital background tasks. Then there is Ultra STAMINA mode for when you are far away from a wall socket. It disables Wi-Fi and data entirely and pretty much leaves you with the bare essentials of your phone.

Connectivity

The Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact is pretty decked-out in the connectivity department. Some variants come with two Nano-SIM slots, for extra flexibility. Sadly, Sony's solution, in this case, is a hybrid one, so it's either the microSD card or the second line.

Cat.16 LTE is capable of download speeds of up to 1Gbit/s, provided your carrier can step up to the challenge. Wi-Fi also has most goodies on board - dual-band, a/c. The same goes for the fast USB 3.1, Type-C data interface and the shiny new Bluetooth 5.0 radio, with support for aptX HD and LE.

Of course, there is satellite positioning as well, which should work great everywhere in the world, thanks to A-GPS, GLONASS and BDS support.

The phone doesn't come with an FM radio.