Case

Smartphone design is a matter of taste. We bring up this truism here because one person's opinion of the Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact's unusual case may very well be the polar opposite of another's. With its boxy look, the Xperia XZ1 Compact is reminiscent of a mobile device from times past. But like a wolf in sheep's clothing, a top-tier smartphone is hiding unsuspected under this plain exterior.

Sony has packed the 4.6-inch device into a well-manufactured rectangular case. The soft edges that are ubiquitous in today's smartphone market are nowhere to be found; only the long sides are slightly tapered. The sharp edges on the short sides are hardly suggestive of a luxury class device. With this austere design, the smartphone is not exactly comfortable to hold either.

The relatively broad frame above and below the display takes some getting used to as well. The fact that it is even broader at the bottom (almost 1.5 cm/~0.6 in) than at the top (around 1.3 cm/~0.5 in) does not make a great deal of sense, given that the Android keys are not physical buttons, but on-screen elements. The smartphone's boxy design also makes it feel substantially thicker than 9.3 mm (~0.37 inches).

That said, there are many aspects that are beyond criticism in terms of the casing. For one thing, it is IP65/68 dust- and water-resistant. Sony has also mounted the Xperia XZ1 Compact's camera flush with the case, so the device can lie flat on level surfaces without wobbling around. The camera on our test device's sister model, the Xperia XZ1, lacks this agreeable quality. The case's stability is faultless as well – all our attempts to twist or otherwise warp the Xperia XZ1 Compact were futile.

The Xperia XZ1 Compact comes in four colors: White Silver, Black, Horizon Blue, and Twilight Pink.