Sony Xperia Z1 vs HTC One

Introduction

The Sony Xperia Z1 arrived amidst hype and huge expectations as it aimed to deliver an outstanding camera and powerful performance, all in one sleek package. However it has yet to prove it can do better than one of Android’s finest, the HTC One.

The Xperia Z1 and the HTC One, the two ‘ones’, are devices that are actually similar in one way - they both feature exquisite designs on Android, something that was a bit of a rarity on Google’s platform. The glass on the Xperia Z1 and the unibody aluminum frame of the HTC One are both great, however they also differ a lot.

Most importantly, the Xperia Z1 comes with a key advantage - it’s released half a year after the One and features way beefier specs. Will this swing the scales its way? Or can the HTC One still take a beating? Let’s find out.

Design

The HTC One was among the first Android devices to become popular not just for its under-the-hood power, but also for its exquisite design. Sturdy and stylish, the phone features an aluminum unibody frame. It is not the only one to boast a great design, though. The Sony Xperia Z1 is equally very well made, but instead of curved shapes and aluminum, it bets on flat lines, boxy looks and glass. It’s hard to compare apples to oranges, or aluminum to glass in this case, so we’ll just settle on saying that it’s a matter of personal preference. What we like about both is that they feel very solidly put together, with no screaking parts.

One important difference between the two is their size. Both are too large for single handed use, but the Xperia Z1 just feels huge. It’s almost as large as a phablet, and it’s definitely larger than the HTC One. The Z1 is a bit thinner, but its the size that makes it a bit harder to operate. It is also way heavier at 6 ounces (170 grams), while the HTC One is 5.04 ounces (143 grams).

A huge advantage the Sony Xperia Z1 has is its water and dust resistance. Unlike any other Android flagship (HTC One included), the glass frame of the Z1 is sealed and protected from the elements. It has the IP58 certification and that means it is well protected from dust and you can immerse it in water beyond 3 feet deep for prolonged periods of time.

The HTC One features two capacitive navigation buttons, while the Sony Xperia Z1 relies on on-screen keys. In terms of physical buttons, the One has got a very well made, large and convenient to press aluminum volume rocker on the left, and a plastic lock key that is a bit hard to reach on top. The Xperia Z1 buttons are all located on the side and are easy to reach and press, but a bit small. The Z1 features the signature rounded Sony lock key that is stylish but with a bit shallow travel, a volume rocker, and a bonus button in the form of a dedicated camera shutter key.

Display

The HTC One wowed us with one of the best displays we’ve ever seen on a smartphone - a 4.7” 1080 x 1920 pixel screen with crisp image and vivid colors. The Xperia Z1 features a slightly larger, 5-inch 1080 x 1920 pixel display that is even brighter, but colors on it seem just a bit washed out comparatively. Blacks are not that deep as well. Both screens are very sharp, featuring 1080x1920-pixels resolution; resulting in 468 ppi for HTC One and 441 ppi for the Xperia Z1.

The HTC One uses a Super LCD 3 display, while the Xperia Z1 features something that Sony calls a “Triluminous” display. The screen of the Xperia Z1 is quite impressive almost every way you look at it. With its natural and realistic colors, the Z1 is among the more accurate screens out there right now. Its gamma still has some issues, though, resulting in some lost detail in the brighter areas (since some brighter levels are actually brighter than they should be), but overall, it's a great screen. The viewing angles are disastrous, though. . The HTC One has slightly colder, bluer tonalities, but is still very high quality screen with color representation that is perceived as quite realistic.

The two displays are bright enough to be legible even under direct sunlight, but the Xperia Z1 is a bit more luminant and easier to read.

Interface and Functionality

The Sony Xperia Z1 and the HTC One currently run on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with a custom skin on top. We wish we could run the more contemporary Android 4.3 on both, but we don’t think having 4.2.2 is a dealbreaker in any way - after all 4.3 is just a slight gradual update.

The two skins are clean and modern looking without any of the gaudy cartoony looks typical for Samsung and LG. We’re talking about well polished looks with more toned down, mature colors.

Even though they do share these commonalities, there are real difference in functionality as well. We still find some of the Sense 5.0 decisions extravagant - the vertical scrolling icon grid, the default view with only 3 icons in a row, the forced on us BlinkFeed in the home panel feel a bit strange to have. The Xperia Z1 lacks those extravagant decisions and favors more conservative looks, but opts for various animations to liven it up throughout.

Camera

The HTC One came with huge aspirations and HTC marketed it as having a new type of camera, something HTC called UltraPixel. In reality, the implementation turned out not so great - it is a 4-megapixel camera after all and it cannot resolve the level of fine detail other Android flagship cameras could.

The Sony Xperia Z1 also comes with huge aspirations, but in this case, it also delivers a great deal. The Z1 features a 20.7-megapixel auto-focus camera with a single LED flash that captures extremely sharp and detailed images. The camera sensor is also larger than that of most other top-shelf devices at 1/2.3”. The HTC One has a smaller, 1/3” sensor. Both devices have a wide, f/2.0 aperture.

Interestingly, the Z1 does not always shoot in the full 20-megapixel resolution. Instead, in the Superior Auto Mode it tries to detect what you take a picture of and if the conditions are right captures an 8-megapixel image using ‘pixel binning’ technology. The gist of it is that it combines information from multiple pixels to create a clearer image with less noise in it. It’s similar to what Nokia uses on its Lumia 1020.

Firing up the camera is very quick on both devices, but once you open the camera, the actual interface differs a lot. Both are rich in functions and both have separate large and convenient buttons for taking image still and recording video, but HTC has buried deeper manual settings like white balance and ISO in menus and submenus that are harder to find. Both handsets support panoramas, but lack automated shooting modes like ‘portrait’, ‘landscape’ and others to assist newbie photographers.

Call Quality

Call quality is decent on both handsets, but it’s not great. Listening to our callers, the Xperia Z1 sounds very hollow in the earpiece, but it’s still easy to understand. The HTC One is better in this regard - with voices sounding in their full rich tonality. On the other end of the line, our callers reported that the Xperia Z1 has decent call quality and it’s easy to clearly hear other people’s voices. The HTC One however disappointed with its microphone capturing a lot of echo and yielding a bit muffled voices.

Battery

With some clever engineering, Sony managed to cram in a 3000mAh battery inside the slim body of the Xperia Z1, and that’s a great asset that will allow your phone to easily last a full day of use. The HTC One in comparison has a more modest 2300mAh battery. With slightly more conservative use, you’d also be able to use it a full day without recharging.

Conclusion

The Sony Xperia Z1 comes half a year after the HTC One and good news is that Sony has used the time fully to its advantage. We can safely say that the Xperia Z1 is the better among the two - with a faster processor, a camera thatis light years ahead and similarly great design and polished user interface. The dust and water resistance is another important benefit.

As for the HTC One, it is still a great device on its own. We would still recommend it for buyers on budget - after all, its price has dropped and it’s way cheaper than the Xperia Z1. The aluminum unibody frame is sturdy and feels great, too. Moreover, the One is still fairly compact while the Xperia Z1 feels a bit too big. However, if money is not an issue and you can make do with a larger phone, the Xperia Z1 is the phone to get.



The Sony Xperia Z1S is T-Mobile US' version of the Z1. The Z1S has launched a bit later, though, so while pretty much everything that you've read
in our comparison thus far holds true, we're publishing an updated comparison conclusion below.

Sony Xperia Z1S vs HTC One: Conclusion

The Sony Xperia Z1S comes almost a year after the HTC One and good news is that Sony has definitely used the time to its advantage. We can safely say that the Xperia Z1S is the better among the two - with a faster processor, a camera that is light years ahead, and equally great design and polished user interface. The dust and water resistance of the Z1S is another important benefit which potential buyers should keep in mind.

As for the HTC One, it is still a great device on its own. We would still recommend it for buyers on budget - after all, its price has dropped and it tends to be cheaper than the Xperia Z1S. The aluminum unibody frame is sturdy and feels great, too. Moreover, the One is still fairly compact while the Xperia Z1S feels a bit too big. However, if money is not an issue and you can make do with a larger phone, the Xperia Z1S is the phone to get.