What's good
- Sleek, attractive design
- Great AMOLED panel
- Plenty of storage space
- Dual SIM support
- microSD support
- Adaptive fast charging
What's bad
- So-so performance
- Poor low-light camera performance
- Bloated UI
- Outdated Android software
- Awkward fingerprint scanner
Verdict
If design and screen quality are important, the Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus leads the mid-tier market. But at the price, the Honor V10 and OnePlus 5T offer better performance and better cameras at a similar price.
What's good
- Water resistant up to 1 meter for 30 minutes
- Dust resistant
- Fast and smooth overall performance
- Underwater camera mode
- Excellent bright light legibility
What's bad
- Slippery grip
- Not especially durable against drops
- LCD display suffers from washed out colors
What's good
- All-day battery life
- Blazing performance
- MicroSD support
- Dual-SIM
- Crisp camera
- Fast fingerprint scanner
What's bad
- Too big for one-handed use
- EMUI 4.0 heavily modifies Android
- Lower resolution display than competition
What's good
- Speedy performance
- Excellent battery life
- Vivid, bright display
- One-handed usability
What's bad
- The camera performs poorly in most lighting situations
- The camera is slow to focus
- Chunky body
Verdict
The Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact offers fast performance, sharp screen, and great battery life in a small package. Despite its price and middling camera, it’s an excellent option for those who want or need one-handed usability. For everyone else, there are better, cheaper options.