Sony India: Xperia Z1, SmartWatch 2, DSC QX10, QX100 Lenses And GTK-N1BT Speakers Launched

| Updated: Wednesday, September 18, 2013, 17:49 [IST]

Right after Samsung launched its Note 3 and Galaxy Gear yesterday, Sony launched a slew of its latest devices in a New Delhi event today. Among them, the flagship successor, Xperia Z1 stole the show when it's brand ambassador Katrina Kaif flaunted the huge handset on the ramp set. The best part, Sony has announced that Xperia Z1 will be available in the stores starting from today and at a price of Rs. 44,990; lesser than the recently launched Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

Amid the phone launch, the Japanese phone maker also announced the release of Sony Smartwatch 2 for the Indian market at Rs. 14,990, which will be available in October 2013.

Apart from this, the company also went on to launch its much-awaited attachable lens variants, the Cybershot QX100 and QX10, which will be available at Rs 24,990 and Rs 12,990 from today. At the same time, the company has launched host of accessories and devices which were showcased at IFA Berlin 2013 including the new Sony wireless speakers GTK-N1BT 100W which features Bluetooth and NFC capabilities to share content with smart devices. It will be available in India at Rs 16,990.

Let's dig into the main features of the top phablet market contender - the Sony Xperia Z1.

Display And Form Factor

The Xperia Z1 follows the exact same design scheme of its predecessor, the Xperia Z, meaning that both the devices look very, very similar. So yes, you'll see that wonderful angular design and the all-glass front and back, again. However, the new Xperia Z1 uses an aluminum band that is seen around the edges of the phone. It also happens to be a little thicker than the Xperia Z. And yes, the handset is waterproof and dustproof.

Further, the Xperia Z1 uses a 5-inch full HD Triluminos capacitive display (1080 x 1920 resolution) and a pixel density of 441ppi. Sony has also added its Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 in addition to shatter proof and scratch resistant glass.

Under The Hood

The Sony Xperia Z1 uses Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 800 SoC which packs four Krait 400 cores clocked at 2.2GHz. This is coupled with an Adreno 330 GPU and 2GB of RAM. Expect the handset to be a monster of a performer.

Storage

The phone offers 16GB for internal storage and also sports a microSD slot for further expansion up to 64GB.

Camera

Xperia Z1 uses a sizeable 20.7-megapixel camera, which is much more powerful than the 13MP snapper used by its predecessor. What we really like about the phone's imaging specs is that it has a 1/2.3-inch sensor, which is much bigger than what we're used to seeing on most high-end smartphones. Talking about glass, there's a wide angle 27mm f/2.0 G Lens along with a Bionz image processor. Up front, you'll find a 2 megapixel front facing camera that is capable of shooting 1080p videos.

Users can click 61 pictures in one click thanks to a feature called Timeshift burst. There's also a wonderful Social Live feature for broadcasting videos live from the smartphone to Facebook and other platforms.

Connectivity

The phone as all the usual connectivity options like Bluetooth 4.0, the latest and greatest standards in Wi-Fi connectivity, apart from W-FI Direct and DLNA for content sharing. There's also an option for Wi-Fi hotspot. You will also find A-GPS and GLONASS support on the phone.

Battery

Sony Xperia Z1 uses a a 3000 mAh battery for all its juice.

In the slideshow below, interested readers can take a look at the other devices launched at the event including Smartwatch 2, DSC QX10, QX100 Lenses, GTK-N1BT 100W Speakers and more.

Smartwatch 2

Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Gear, which will only work with Samsung Galaxy phones running Android 4.3, Sony's Smartwatch will be compatible with all smartphones(regardless of brand) running Android 4.0. This means that you don't have to own a Sony smartphone to enjoy the features of the Smartwatch 2. The device uses Android and can be connected to smartphones using NFC technology. It is charged using a MicroUSB jack.

The Smartwatch 2 is water proof and can be used in all weather conditions. It uses a Transflective LCD 1.6-inch screen with a resolution of 220x176 pixels. You'll find a nice little power button in the place of the watch's crown which looks a lot like the lock/unlock buttons seen on Sony's smartphones. The device beats the Samsung Galaxy Gear (1 day battery life) in the battery department since it offers 4 days of usage on a single charge.

DSC QX10, QX100 Lenses

Son'y two attachable lens are posied to become the hottest smartphone accesories of 2013. They allow users to reach new levels of quality with The DX10 (Rs 12,990), offers 10x optical zoom and a solid back-illuminated, 18-megapixel sensor which offered excellent picture quality. The DX100 (Rs.24,990) has a 3.6x zoom and an even better sensor. Both variants will go on sale on Sept. 25.

GTK-N1BT Wireless Speakers

This audiophile's pet offers 100W RMS of output, which includes a 60W sub-woofer. It uses NFC and Bluetooth to connect to smartphones. There's a One Touch feature for connection to Xperia smartphones.

Xpera Z1 India Launch

The handset is consistent with the angular design scheme of its predeccesor and most other Xperia phones.

Xpera Z1 India Launch

The phone's front and back use strong, scratch resistant glass. A solid one-piece aluminum bezel has been used.

Xpera Z1 India Launch

Unlike the common trend of phones getting slimmer and slimmer, the Xperia Z1 is slightly thicker than its predecessor, not something you'd complain about.