Sony's mini marvel is that rare beast: a phone with a fairly small screen but high-end specs. While it won't cost you as much as the Xperia Z2, the fact it's stuffed to the rafters with top end tech means the Xperia Z1 Compact can still be pretty pricey.
We're talking a quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, a premium build and a great camera, all packed into a 4.3-inch screen that makes it a lot nicer to hold in the hand.
But while it's going to be priced towards the upper end of the market wherever you get it, you can still save yourself a substantial chunk of money, or come away with some generous allowances, if you take a look at the following deals.
EE
EE has a strong Z1 Compact deal right now, which will get you the handset in black with 1000 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of 4G data for just £29.99 per month and no upfront cost for the handset.
It's a 24 month contract, as all these deals are (unless specified otherwise), and comes out at £719.76.
EE also has the Xperia Z1 Compact in black or white for even less money: £23.99 per month but it doesn't come with the most generous of allowances.
Again, there's no upfront cost but on this deal you only get 500 minutes, 500MB of data and unlimited texts. Over the life of the contract it adds up to £575.76, though, so a pretty cheap way to get a top phone.
O2
With O2 you can get the Xperia Z1 Compact in black for just £18 per month, plus a £99 charge for the handset. That will net you 500 minutes, 500MB of data and unlimited texts and comes out at £531 after 24 months.
Alternatively you can get the phone in black with 1GB of data and unlimited texts and minutes for £28 per month with no upfront cost and £90 cashback. That totals £582 over 24 months once you factor in the cashback.
If you're after more data you could do worse than paying £33 per month to get the Xperia Z1 Compact in lime green with 5GB, alongside unlimited minutes and texts. There's no upfront cost so that's £792 in all and you get a free refurbished 8GB Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 for your trouble.
Vodafone
Vodafone has a couple of tempting deals for Sony's diminutive darling for £30 or less per month. First up: pick up the Z1 Compact in black with 300 minutes, unlimited texts and 250MB of data for just £21 per month, which, as there's no upfront cost, comes out at £504 overall.
Or if you're going to need more data and minutes you can get the smaller Xperia in black with 3GB of 4G data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts for £30 per month. Once again there's no charge for the handset itself, so the deal works out at £720 for the duration of the contract.
Vodafone also has a 12 month tariff which, at £47 per month, isn't exactly cheap, but does give you more flexibility in changing your handset earlier. It comes with unlimited minutes and texts and 1GB of data. You even get £48 cashback with it. That's for the phone in black and there's no upfront cost so it's £564 overall.
If that's a bit steep for your tastes you can alternatively get it in black on a 12 month contract for £39 per month, with 300 minutes, unlimited texts and 250MB of data. That comes out at £468.
Three
Three has a couple of different deals at £38 per month with no upfront cost. On the face of it, that's a lot of money to spend when you can get it £300 cheaper on another network, but you get quite a lot for your money too.
One of the deals gives you a choice of the handset in white or black and comes with unlimited data, unlimited texts and 600 minutes, so it's a good choice if you tend to use a lot of mobile data. It also includes £20 cashback so that will cost you £892.
The other deal gives you the Xperia Z1 Compact in lime green and only comes with 2GB of data, but it includes unlimited minutes and texts, so that's a better bet if you want to be able to make a lot of calls. That one comes with £15 cashback so it's £897 in all.
While Three does offer peace of mind with unlimited elements of its deals, it's pretty expensive compared to the others on show here.
T-Mobile and Orange
T-Mobile is offering the handset in lime or white with 500 minutes, unlimited data and unlimited texts for £27.99 per month with no upfront cost. It even comes with £156 cashback so overall that's £515.76, which is pretty good value, though remember you only get 3G data with T-Mobile.
You can get the phone in black on the same deal, but there's no cashback so it costs £671.76.
Last but not least there's Orange, which also offers the Xperia Z1 Compact for £27.99 per month in black or white with £156 cashback, so as there's no upfront cost it totals the same £515.76.
But here it's with 1000 minutes, unlimited texts and just 500MB of 3G data. We're inclined to say that that's a worse deal overall than the T-Mobile one, but obviously it's a better bet if you value minutes more than data.
- Want something slightly bigger? There are some great Xperia Z2 deals too.
