Sony Xperia Z1 officially announced

Sony has been working hard on its One Sony initiative under the leadership of CEO Kaz Hirai, which aims to combine the inventions and innovations from various departments within the company together for products that will embody the best Sony can offer in all their aspects.

The CEO took to the stage at the ongoing IFA 2013 to showcase the Sony Xperia Z1 which is the first product from Sony to embody the One Sony vision

Photography is clearly one of Sony's main focuses in their vision as the Sony Xperia Z1 features a 20.7 megapixel Exmor RS sensor which is 1/2.3" in size. While it may not be as large as some of what Nokia has on their camera phones, the lens and processing algorithms aim to play an important role. The Sony Z1 also features G lens branding, with 27mm wide angle and generous F2.0 aperture, BIONZ for mobile ISP, as well as the promise to be the "world's leading camera in a smartphone," which is a  hefty challenge to meet.

The Z1 also features a dedicated camera key with almost instantaneous captures a photo from sleep, making sure you will never miss those memorable photos. Sony also boasts 3x clear zoom with zero loss in quality, which is likely a result of the same pixel binding process using on the Nokia Lumia 1020 and the Nokia 808 PureView.

By using a regular sized sensor, Sony has been able to keep the Xperia Z1 relatively thin at 8.5 mm within its one-piece aluminum frame. The OmniBalance design, and catchy tempered glass chassis is water resistant and the Z1 will be available in black, white and purple colors. Its IP58 certification promises that it can survive a longer time and deeper under water than its predecessor the Sony Xperia Z.

Unfortunately the device doesn't support the 4K video support which it was rumored to have.

If the 20 MP images aren't good enough, you could consider using Sony's QX10 or QX100 modules which were unveiled alongside the Z1. Sony also outed additional photo accessories for the Z1, such as the Smart Imaging Stand IPT-DS10M, or the Smartphone Tripod SPA-MK20M.

But the specs on the Sony Xperia Z1 don't stop with the camera. The Xperia Z1 measures in at 144.4 x 73.9 x 8.5mm, and weighs 170g, making it a premium yet compact handset. Sony has included an elegant 5 inch display with a full HD 1080 by 1920 pixel resolution. The display additionally features Sony's Triluminos technology. The device packs a 3000 mAh battery with 14 hours of talk time and 6.5 hours of video playback, which are decent numbers for this category. You can 16GB of internal storage which can be expanded by an additional 64GB through microSD. The Z1 supports a wide array of LTE frequencies, making it the second octa-band LTE phone after the Sony Xperia Z Ulta. All this power is managed by a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM.

The phone will launch with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean on board customized with Sony's unique software experiences. Sony has updated the PlayMemories Online app with the new All Sync option that will allow you to upload all photos taken with the Z1 without any storage limits. Another great idea is to expand the TrackID app with TV series information search and share, though for now this will only be present in Germany, UK, France, Japan and the US. The new Info Eye feature lets you snap pics of landmarks or your surroundings and the app will layer adequate info in augmented reality-style.

The Sony Xperia Z1 will be available later this month at a price yet to be disclosed.