Sony has followed Samsung and HTC in creating a smaller version of its flagship smartphone for those who want something a little more pocketable. The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, announced at the Sony CES press conference in Las Vegas, will differ from the mini's available from rivals in that it doesn't skimp on specs, even though it comes in a smaller package.

The new phone, available in the UK in mid-February, will offer virtually the same specifications as the Xperia Z1 launched in 2013, but have a 4.3-inch IPS 1280 x 720 display rather than the 5-inch 1920 x 1080 display found on the Xperia Z1, but that still makes it a screen with a relatively sharp 341ppi.

The new phone will feature the same 20.7-megapixel camera found in the Xperia Z1, Android 4.3 Jelly Bean but with the promise of Android 4.4 KitKat in the coming weeks. It has the same 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset with 2GB of RAM, and a range of colours: pink, lime, white and black.

Sony says the "compact" name is designed to represent that the phone is a compact version of the Xperia Z1 rather than a mini and therefore sub-standard version of the phone. It's the same marketing trick that The Times took when it moved from a broadsheet to tabloid paper and likely to work well for Sony.

"We wanted to bring all the flagship features into a compact from factor," a Sony spokesman told Pocket-lint in a pre-briefing ahead of the announcement.

READ: Hands-on: Sony Xperia Z1 Compact review

Aside from the screen, there are slight differences. The Xperia Z1 Compact will feature a 2300mAh battery because of its reduced size. That compares to the 3000mAh battery found in the Z1, but the same as the previously launched Xperia Z.

Other gems worth noting are that like all new Xperia devices the Z1 Compact will be waterproof and will come with 16GB internal memory and microSD card slot for expanding the storage options further.

READ: Sony Xpera Z1 Compact vs Sony Xperia Z1: What's the difference?

Those really interested will no doubt want to know that the Z1 Compact measures 127 x 64.9 x 9.5mm compared to the 144.4 x 73.9 x 8.5mm of the Z1 and that it weighs 140g.

It terms of price, Sony says it will be cheaper than the Z1 but more expensive than the Xperia Z. Compact, it seems, isn't necessarily cheaper, just smaller.