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[Mario007]

That's the key bit imo. I find it surprising that people will say have a go at WP for not rocking quad core and lots of RAM when the iPhone is the same bar their GPU being miles ahead.



Facebook is there, YouTube was until Google threw its toys out of the pram and as for GMail I've never seen the need to use more than the default client over a specific app.

The screen is still great quality regardless of the resolution, the S4 still ticks along nicely on the WP platform too. Another thing I find odd, specs seemed to matter so much then the Moto X came along and people then rationalise it and make it sound awesome.

Awesome job at bending the truth. Stop hiding behind the word "official".

The Facebook app is official and basically identical feature-wise, and that's ignoring the fact that it has a lot of Facebook's functionality built into the hubs (Having Facebook events and birthdays in my calendar is awesome. Messaging built into the messaging hub is great. Etc.)

Gmail might not have an official app, but since it's built into e-mail, it works like a charm. I use Gmail as my main e-mail provider and I don't have any problems.

There are several superior 3rd party apps for Youtube out there. The fact that there's no official one currently is because Google is fucking around.

I'm a WP user, I'm an internet/FB/Youtube addict, and if any of the services you mention weren't usable, I would've thrown away this phone years ago.

Uh, there are actually two official Facebook apps (the original, which has been available for years at this point, and the new version which is in "beta" but is pretty much feature-equal to the iOS/Android versions), and Youtube has been available for months (not to mention the great third party offerings). Is a Gmail app really necessary?



Oh, I get it now--you guys are literally trying to not know what you're talking about.

You can't really compare specs of a WP vs iOS/Android unless you're specifically talking about resource-intensive games and apps. WP is a lightweight OS comparatively.

Sorry about the facebook blunder, I was thinking of Windows RT, can't really fault me for that. Google apps missing is a huge blow to the WP. Not having the new youtube app, drive, google plus, hangouts and others is shitty. The app situation is really not comparable even if you take a look at raw numbers but also other useful apps which are a bit more specialised like Pleco are missing from WP which makes it a much less desirable platform.

The reason specs are compared is because someone mentioned Lumia has a solid hardware. Also if I'm paying 600 euro for a phone I want it to have the best specs, not mid-rage android phone specs. It's a value proposition, Nokia paid less for those components. So if you go and try to compare Lumia 1020 to Android flagship not only will you find that the OS is lacking in app support but also the specs are comparable to 300 euro android phones. That's why I said that Lumia 1020 is an amazing camera with phone features rather than a great smartphone with an awesome camera.

All this is completely off topic, of course so could we stop this hijack of a thread into corporate fanboy wars and go back to discussing the beast that is the Xperia Z1?

 

[Black Door]

How many years away are we from cells that you can roll up in your pocket?

 

[kharma45]

Well, speaking generally, having a better CPU and GPU is always better as these OS' are constantly evolving and demands faster CPU's and of course apps also requires higher specs and more memory. If you don't care about 3D games then sure, it doesn't matter that much. If all you use is Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook etc. But people always complain about snappiness, gaming performances etc. I do think it's less of a problem for a closed system like iOS and W8. But phones aren't just for calling anymore, they are multifunctional and these companies has to think about all the stuff potential customers might do with it, watching full hd videos, playing CPU/GPU intensive games, multitaksing. Or even shooting 4K movies, like this thread's phone can do, i1 Honami. I'm not saying it's important for every single person getting a smartphone, but someone might consider it being important.

People complain about that on Android yes, but not on a closed OS as you say like iOS and WP8. There is nothing in WP yet that calls for such high levels of power as a) it's such a well optimised OS and b) there isn't as many demanding games.

Fancy specs sound nice, quad core this and 1080p that but they're not transforming how phones are used since there isn't the software still to take advantage of all that power. And whilst 4K recording again sounds nice, is it as useful say as the crazy zoom that the 1020 can pull off?

Sorry about the facebook blunder, I was thinking of Windows RT, can't really fault me for that. Google apps missing is a huge blow to the WP. Not having the new youtube app, drive, google plus, hangouts and others is shitty. The app situation is really not comparable even if you take a look at raw numbers but also other useful apps which are a bit more specialised like Pleco are missing from WP which makes it a much less desirable platform.

The reason specs are compared is because someone mentioned Lumia has a solid hardware. Also if I'm paying 600 euro for a phone I want it to have the best specs, not mid-rage android phone specs. It's a value proposition, Nokia paid less for those components. So if you go and try to compare Lumia 1020 to Android flagship not only will you find that the OS is lacking in app support but also the specs are comparable to 300 euro android phones. That's why I said that Lumia 1020 is an amazing camera with phone features rather than a great smartphone with an awesome camera.

All this is completely off topic, of course so could we stop this hijack of a thread into corporate fanboy wars and go back to discussing the beast that is the Xperia Z1?

It's more that the OS is limiting what hardware Nokia can fit inside. 1080p support and quad core SOCs isn't here until November with GDR3.

Missing the Google apps is a blow I guess if you're tied in to Google, and of course WP isn't going to be a good fit for you. You can still access YouTube and get a better experience than on Android (you can cache videos offline), Google Plus I've never viewed as an important app, Drive I guess if you use it and not something like Dropbox or Skydrive.

 

[Mario007]

People complain about that on Android yes, but not on a closed OS as you say like iOS and WP8. There is nothing in WP yet that calls for such high levels of power as a) it's such a well optimised OS and b) there isn't as many demanding games.

Fancy specs sound nice, quad core this and 1080p that but they're not transforming how phones are used since there isn't the software still to take advantage of all that power. And whilst 4K recording again sounds nice, is it as useful say as the crazy zoom that the 1020 can pull off?



It's more that the OS is limiting what hardware Nokia can fit inside. 1080p support and quad core SOCs isn't here until November with GDR3.

Missing the Google apps is a blow I guess if you're tied in to Google, and of course WP isn't going to be a good fit for you. You can still access YouTube and get a better experience than on Android (you can cache videos offline), Google Plus I've never viewed as an important app, Drive I guess if you use it and not something like Dropbox or Skydrive.

To be fair you do need a large battery and a quad core phone for a 1080p display and having a 1080p display is a big plus point for Android phones. Seeing that we spent 99% of the time looking at the screen, the sharper and better it is the better. And again the problem isn't that WP phones don't have Snapdragon 800 or even 600 but that they are priced similar to the phones that do have these.

Re the OS limitation and apps, well that's the problem you have when you're working with a platform provider that is playing a huge game of catch-up. There is no excuse for no support for quad-core phones or 1080p screens. There is 7 times the amount of apps on Android as opposed to WP so it is definitely going to show when it comes to finding apps that you need and wat to use.

Also for the record, I use Google Plus as my instant photo upload tool and and Drive for documents rather than uploading files there.

 

[gogogow]

People complain about that on Android yes, but not on a closed OS as you say like iOS and WP8. There is nothing in WP yet that calls for such high levels of power as a) it's such a well optimised OS and b) there isn't as many demanding games.

I actually read a thread on a Windows Phone forum about people experiencing lag while swiping the tiles on a 920, that's why I mentioned it in my post. Maybe it has been fixed already or it has been resolved with the 1020. I don't really know.

But I agree, not everyone need quad core phones or the most advanced GPU. Just like you said, if there aren't many GPU demanding apps/games, then yeah, I don't see the need for a more powerful GPU. It all depends what each individual wants to do, some people like taking pictures, others like shooting movies in 4K (because they have a 4K TV), play games and others want to use Whatsapp, Twitter and Facebook and their are those who just want to check their email.

 

[DBT85]

Probably Dragontrail glass like on other Xperia devices.

They keep putting that film over the top though so it isn't glass at the touch surface any more.

My Xperia Tablet Z that got nicked has two tiny marks on the film where I bounced it on the hearth. Fortunately some cunt stole it so I got a new one on the in-sewer-ants.

Saying that, you can remove that film, but the glass is not oleophobic so prints stick to it like anything and won't wipe off like on other devices. No idea if any of that will change with the Z1.

 

[kharma45]

To be fair you do need a large battery and a quad core phone for a 1080p display and having a 1080p display is a big plus point for Android phones. Seeing that we spent 99% of the time looking at the screen, the sharper and better it is the better. And again the problem isn't that WP phones don't have Snapdragon 800 or even 600 but that they are priced similar to the phones that do have these.

Neither of those two specs dictate the need for a 1080p screen. The HTC One doesn't have a large battery and it has 1080p, and I can't see why you'd need a quad core CPU to render 1080p unless your GPU was pretty rubbish.

Sharp screens are lovely but I don't see much of an appreciable difference between a 720 and a 1080 at those sizes. I had a Lumia 920 beside an Xperia Z and I couldn't tell the difference.

Re the OS limitation and apps, well that's the problem you have when you're working with a platform provider that is playing a huge game of catch-up. There is no excuse for no support for quad-core phones or 1080p screens. There is 7 times the amount of apps on Android as opposed to WP so it is definitely going to show when it comes to finding apps that you need and wat to use.

Also for the record, I use Google Plus as my instant photo upload tool and and Drive for documents rather than uploading files there.

Yep Android and iOS have an awful lot more niche apps.

I actually read a thread on a Windows Phone forum about people experiencing lag while swiping the tiles on a 920, that's why I mentioned it in my post. Maybe it has been fixed already or it has been resolved with the 1020. I don't really know.

But I agree, not everyone need quad core phones or the most advanced GPU. Just like you said, if there aren't many GPU demanding apps/games, then yeah, I don't see the need for a more powerful GPU. It all depends what each individual wants to do, some people like taking pictures, others like shooting movies in 4K (because they have a 4K TV), play games and others want to use Whatsapp, Twitter and Facebook and their are those who just want to check their email.

News to me, could've been a rogue app causing that as I've not seen it on the 920 when I had it or the 620 now that I have it.

As for 4K I don't see it as a phone selling feature, more a dick waving one. No one has a 4K set and I doubt they're going to be common place any time soon. There isn't the demand for them.

 

[tino]

WP people stop derailing this thread. I intentionally deleted the 1020 thread off my subscribed thread list because I thought it was no polite to shit up the 1020 thread if I didn't plan to buy the phone.

What your opinions on Android and WP8 has nothing to do with this thread.

 

[kharma45]

WP people stop derailing this thread. I intentionally deleted the 1020 thread off my subscribed thread list I thought it was no polite to shit up the 1020 thread if I don't plan to buy the phone.

What your opinions on Android and WP8 has nothing to do with this thread.

The Z1 will be going up against the 1020 to be the best camera phone out there, comparisons are going to be inevitable.

 

[tino]

The Z1 will be going up against the 1020 to be the best camera phone out there, comparisons are going to be inevitable.

OK come back when the Z1 samples are out. Don't bring up the A vs W arguement here. Open a new thread if you think people care about the system war argument.

Not one in this thread is even cross shopping Z1 and 1020. Don't pretend the image IQ is the primary purchase factor, its not.

 

[kharma45]

OK come back when the Z1 samples are out. Don't bring up the A vs W arguement here. Open a new thread if you think people care about the system war argument.

Not one in this thread is even cross shopping Z1 and 1020. Don't pretend the image IQ is the primary purchase factor, its not.

It'll be one of them, otherwise why would you go for it over a cheaper Z or ZL?

 

[Volotaire]

Europe release date known? please be within 2 weeks!

 

[zomgbbqftw]

It'll be one of them, otherwise why would you go for it over a cheaper Z or ZL?

Z1 is a better phone. S800, AH-IPS screen and a metal build rather than plastic. Those will be higher up the list than the camera for most consumers. Also most people don't give a shit about "quality" so much as raw numbers. 20MP on Android is a first which is enough to tick the box.

Otherwise the people looking to buy the Z1 probably won't even bother to look at the 1020, they will look at the 925 if they want Nokia/WP8.

You are making the mistake of thinking that Sony are selling a camera centric phone, when really they are selling a smartphone with a great camera that's better than everything else on Android. Nokia are selling a camera centric phone with the 1020 and it forms almost all of their marketing push for it, the Z1 will sell on build quality, the screen and other stuff like NFC as well as the camera.

 

[tino]

It'll be one of them, otherwise why would you go for it over a cheaper Z or ZL?

People are either cross shopping Z1 with other Android/iPhone, or cross shopping between a 1020 and another WP8 phone. If you actually care about image quality that much, you would an idiot to blow your budget on a phone. There are much better and cheaper way to get a premuim compact camera.

 

[Anton Sugar]

WP people stop derailing this thread. I intentionally deleted the 1020 thread off my subscribed thread list because I thought it was no polite to shit up the 1020 thread if I didn't plan to buy the phone.

What your opinions on Android and WP8 has nothing to do with this thread.

Most of us posted in here when the OP and others dumped on the 1020, FWIW.

 

[kharma45]

Z1 is a better phone. S800, AH-IPS screen and a metal build rather than plastic. Those will be higher up the list than the camera for most consumers. Also most people don't give a shit about "quality" so much as raw numbers. 20MP on Android is a first which is enough to tick the box.

Otherwise the people looking to buy the Z1 probably won't even bother to look at the 1020, they will look at the 925 if they want Nokia/WP8.

You are making the mistake of thinking that Sony are selling a camera centric phone, when really they are selling a smartphone with a great camera that's better than everything else on Android. Nokia are selling a camera centric phone with the 1020 and it forms almost all of their marketing push for it, the Z1 will sell on build quality, the screen and other stuff like NFC as well as the camera.

No doubt the Z1 will have great build but is the Z not similarly premium (glass no?) with NFC and an already good screen? For most price will be key and I'd say the Z will sell better than the Z1 even with it having a faster SOC (most places will just market it as a quad core just like the Z) and a better screen (again, most retail places will just have both as being 1080p Bravia blah blah screens).

I can't see the phone not being touted in their marketing as camera centric. Otherwise it's not offering a whole lot more to justify it's more premium price that it'll carry as it's a newer model.

People are either cross shopping Z1 with other Android/iPhone, or cross shopping between a 1020 and another WP8 phone. If you actually care about image quality that much, you would an idiot to blow your budget on a phone. There are much better and cheaper way to get a premuim compact camera.

There are no doubt, but people are increasingly favouring having a good all in one device which this can offer. P&S cameras is a declining market.

 

[tino]

Most of us posted in here when the OP and others dumped on the 1020, FWIW.

You can keep the argument within the camera hardware and spec without branching out to ecosystem argument you know.

 

[The Faceless Master]

Poonani vs Jokia Lunia? best cameraphone.

 

[Anton Sugar]

You can keep the argument within the camera hardware and spec without branching out to ecosystem argument you know.

Jeeze, did you read the thread? Ecosystem shit got brought up when posters flung around the usual "you'll give up ALL YOUR APPS" and "it's not much of a phone" comments.

 

[f0lken]

The only thing we can all agree is that Hoonami sounded much better than Z1

 

[zomgbbqftw]

No doubt the Z1 will have great build but is the Z not similarly premium (glass no?) with NFC and an already good screen? For most price will be key and I'd say the Z will sell better than the Z1 even with it having a faster SOC (most places will just market it as a quad core just like the Z) and a better screen (again, most retail places will just have both as being 1080p Bravia blah blah screens).

I can't see the phone not being touted in their marketing as camera centric. Otherwise it's not offering a whole lot more to justify it's more premium price that it'll carry as it's a newer model.

Who says the Z will still be on sale everywhere once the Z1 comes out? This phone replaces the Z as Sony's flagship, it doesn't compliment it like the 1020 does with the 925. You are completely misunderstanding the positioning of this phone. It is not a camera centric phone like the 1020, it is a super smartphone that happens to have a kickass camera.

 

[darkwing]

The only thing we can all agree is that Hoonami sounded much better than Z1

what, no

 

[kharma45]

Who says the Z will still be on sale everywhere once the Z1 comes out? This phone replaces the Z as Sony's flagship, it doesn't compliment it like the 1020 does with the 925. You are completely misunderstanding the positioning of this phone. It is not a camera centric phone like the 1020, it is a super smartphone that happens to have a kickass camera.

True Sony could phase the Z out, I didn't consider that.

I get the positioning of it, I just see Sony as marketing it's camera as it's top feature. It is what sets it truly apart from the rest of the Android devices out there.

 

[tino]

BBQ, is the Z1's weatherproof dust-proof feature is same as the Z? Does it mean there may be a successor to the smaller ZL?

Although spliting the flagship into 2 models IMO was a bad idea.

 

[vivftp]

True Sony could phase the Z out, I didn't consider that.

I get the positioning of it, I just see Sony as marketing it's camera as it's top feature. It is what sets it truly apart from the rest of the Android devices out there.

Camera is just one factor. It's water resistant/proof, dustproof, and some say it's even shockproof. Most of Sonys ads on the Xperia Z cater to its water resistant features, so I don't see that changing too much.

If I had to take a guess, the fact that it has a dedicated camera shutter will mean we'll see loads of ads where people are underwater, snapping photos.


BTW zomg, a while back you indicated Sony might consider an "L" variant of Z1 like the Z and ZL. Is this still true?

 

[f0lken]

what, no

 

[fuenf]

fuck why on earth did they go for software buttons? the phone would be perfect without them, I'll never understand the benefit of software buttons especially when the bezel is still this large.

 

[vivftp]

fuck why on earth did they go for software buttons? the phone would be perfect without them, I'll never understand the benefit of software buttons especially when the bezel is still this large.

I'm just guessing here, but this is my reasoning for the bezels which are just slightly larger than the Xperia Z anyways. The new camera has a far larger sensor, so that requires additional space up at the top above the screen. Sony is pushing their omni-balance design, so the top and bottom bezel have to match, so they took this opportunity to put in a much larger speaker at the bottom. Not to mention the larger battery is also present.

In reality, this phone is only marginally larger than the Xpera Z, while having a far larger camera sensor, considerably larger battery and a far more powerful processor. It's actually great they were able to fit all that into this sort of package.

 

[kharma45]

Camera is just one factor. It's water resistant/proof, dustproof, and some say it's even shockproof. Most of Sonys ads on the Xperia Z cater to its water resistant features, so I don't see that changing too much.

if I had to take a guess, the fact that it has a dedicated camera shutter will mean we'll see loads of ads where people are underwater, snapping photos.


BTW zomg, a while back you indicated Sony might consider an "L" variant of Z1 like the Z and ZL. Is this still true?

sounds highly probable that.

 

[juliushandle]

Lumia 1020, power of zoom video for comparison

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4_gLXIFaFs

 

[Caesar III]

Where is this from? thats not the Z1, no? if it is indeed, I'm even more sold on the Mini of it.

 

[vivftp]

Where is this from? thats not the Z1, no? if it is indeed, I'm even more sold on the Mini of it.

Xperia SP

 

[plainr_]

fuck why on earth did they go for software buttons? the phone would be perfect without them, I'll never understand the benefit of software buttons especially when the bezel is still this large.

It's primarily the reason that is stopping me from getting the Z1. I absolutely love my hardware buttons on my galaxy s4 active.

Then again, I may still want one since the custom rom scene seems to be dead on the S4A.

 

[this_guy]

Awesome job at bending the truth. Stop hiding behind the word "official".

The Facebook app is official and basically identical feature-wise, and that's ignoring the fact that it has a lot of Facebook's functionality built into the hubs (Having Facebook events and birthdays in my calendar is awesome. Messaging built into the messaging hub is great. Etc.)

Gmail might not have an official app, but since it's built into e-mail, it works like a charm. I use Gmail as my main e-mail provider and I don't have any problems.

There are several superior 3rd party apps for Youtube out there. The fact that there's no official one currently is because Google is fucking around.

I'm a WP user, I'm an internet/FB/Youtube addict, and if any of the services you mention weren't usable, I would've thrown away this phone years ago.

I have a Nokia 920, and while Facebook is usable, notifications don't work properly so Facebook chat is worthless. Having it built into the messaging hub sounds nice but in reality I find it unusable. Android's Facebook Messenger with the Chatheads feature is much nicer and actually works.

Now back to the Sony phone, if they make a smaller version with the same camera I'd definitely be interested. I'm fine with Galaxy S3 level specs as long as the camera and battery life are top notch.

 

[spats]

This looks and sounds amazing. I held off on the Xperia Z, but it looks like I'll end up getting this one.

 

[hadareud]

I actually read a thread on a Windows Phone forum about people experiencing lag while swiping the tiles on a 920, that's why I mentioned it in my post. Maybe it has been fixed already or it has been resolved with the 1020. I don't really know.

Oh dear.

 

[kharma45]

I have a Nokia 920, and while Facebook is usable, notifications don't work properly so Facebook chat is worthless. Having it built into the messaging hub sounds nice but in reality I find it unusable. Android's Facebook Messenger with the Chatheads feature is much nicer and actually works.

Now back to the Sony phone, if they make a smaller version with the same camera I'd definitely be interested. I'm fine with Galaxy S3 level specs as long as the camera and battery life are top notch.

I could be wrong but the size of the sensor might prohibit them making the phone too much smaller with regards to screen real estate.

 

[Speedy Blue Dude]

Z1 is a better phone. S800, AH-IPS screen and a metal build rather than plastic. Those will be higher up the list than the camera for most consumers. Also most people don't give a shit about "quality" so much as raw numbers. 20MP on Android is a first which is enough to tick the box.

Otherwise the people looking to buy the Z1 probably won't even bother to look at the 1020, they will look at the 925 if they want Nokia/WP8.

You are making the mistake of thinking that Sony are selling a camera centric phone, when really they are selling a smartphone with a great camera that's better than everything else on Android. Nokia are selling a camera centric phone with the 1020 and it forms almost all of their marketing push for it, the Z1 will sell on build quality, the screen and other stuff like NFC as well as the camera.

Yet the Nokia 1020 isn't a smartphone with a great camera? The 1020 has amazing build quality, a fantastic screen (may not be 1080p, but the 768p OLED is gorgeous), fantastic speakers and audio quality, and other great stuff, as well as a fantastic camera (which is a huge advertising point, because as it stands, it DOES have the best camera for a smartphone on the market).

 

[zomgbbqftw]

True Sony could phase the Z out, I didn't consider that.

I get the positioning of it, I just see Sony as marketing it's camera as it's top feature. It is what sets it truly apart from the rest of the Android devices out there.

That's what they are competing with, the rest of the Android field. I very much doubt the 1020 and 808 even came into consideration when Sony planned this phone. The 1020 is a niche device, the Z1 is a mass market device. Nokia's mass market high end phone is the 925, not the 1020, the 1020 is a special, not intended to court mass market buyers. It never was, which is why any comparison between the 1020 and Z1 are going to be fruitless. The 1020 was designed to do one thing, relive the 808 glories on WP (which it hasn't), the Z1 is Sony's next flagship and will take the place of the Z.

BBQ, is the Z1's weatherproof dust-proof feature is same as the Z? Does it mean there may be a successor to the smaller ZL?

Although spliting the flagship into 2 models IMO was a bad idea.

BTW zomg, a while back you indicated Sony might consider an "L" variant of Z1 like the Z and ZL. Is this still true?

It's still a possibility. I don't think that device would be out before the end of the year though, there is a shortage of 5" 1080p AH-IPS screens for this holiday season and Sony will put all of their resources into the Z1, if an L version is coming then it won't be until 2014.

fuck why on earth did they go for software buttons? the phone would be perfect without them, I'll never understand the benefit of software buttons especially when the bezel is still this large.

The camera module is too deep to fit behind the LCD screen, the top bezel had to be enlarged for it. Because of Sony's symmetrical design language it also meant the bottom bezel needed to be enlarged. However, it has allowed them to put a massive battery in there while keeping the phone relatively slim (8.7mm). If they had put the camera behind the LCD screen then it would be 12mm and the battery would be 2400mAh. It was a good compromise in the end, the better camera (vs a 16MP 1/3.06" sensor) and larger battery should be worth.

 

[tino]

I like the Droid X look. You guys are too girly for a manly phone.

But I could use a physical home button.

 

[Fou-Lu]

Probably will be my next phone, though I am tempted by the Lumia 1020's camera.

 

[TheRealTalker]

man whats with the phone world... they always seem to leak especially from Asia
sadly no camera quality info yet... I wonder if those rumours of 4k video shooting are true

 

[°°ToMmY°°]

Official press shots leak:

http://www.xperiablog.net/2013/09/02/sony-xperia-z1-honami-official-high-resolution-press-pictures-leak/

 

[Volotaire]

Official press shots leak:

Quote it!

 

[benny_a]

This thing better come out quick. I need a phone very soon.

 

[glaurung]

That looks awesome. Especially the "we got so many pixels, we're drawing the battery indicator vertically nao" bit.

If I weren't tethered to my iPhone 5 contract for another 15 months, I'd be all over that.

Spoiler

I need an Android device for PS4 second screen apps.

 

[razgriz417]

just realized the bottom bezzel is pretty huge on the phone, wonder how big this phone is lengthwise

 

[massivekettle]

Not a big fan of the huge bezel.

 

[Volotaire]

just realized the bottom bezzel is pretty huge on the phone, wonder how big this phone is lengthwise

Same/similar to the Xperia Z,

 

[HigXx]

Really want this but my phone contract isn't up til February.

I suppose there will be a new flagship model by then anyway...