It might not seem that long ago since the Xperia Z3
was released, but with Sony's rapid release schedule for its flagship
smartphones the rumour mill has already been working overtime.
We've started to hear plenty rumours about Sony's next flagship, including one report
which reckons the Japanese firm will return to an annual launch of its
top device, ditching the recent trend of every six months, though not
until after the Z4 launches. Updates: We may not have quite as long to wait for the Sony Xperia Z4 as we'd thought, but it still probably won't launch before June.
Cut to the chase
What is it? Sony's next flagship smartphone
When is it out? Sometime in the summer probably
What will it cost? A lot - this will be a high-end device
Sony Xperia Z4 release date
Early
rumors suggested we'd see the Sony Xperia Z4 at MWC 2015, but that
hasn't happened. So when will we see it? That's not entirely clear.
Some rumors suggest that Sony is moving from two flagships a year to just one and pushing the Sony Xperia Z4 back to the summer.
On the other hand Sony has already started rolling out its '4' product range with the Xperia Z4 Tablet and the Xperia M4 Aqua, so it would make sense to have a smartphone alongside them. Plus, speaking to TrustedReviews,
Tim Harrison, Sony's Vice President of Global Communications and PR,
claimed the company hasn't moved to a 12 month product cycle.
So
maybe we won't have to wait too long after all. The Xperia Z4 Tablet
isn't set to launch till June anyway, so that still gives Sony a few
months to announce its next flagship and get it on the market at the
same time.
What will it cost?
There's been no information
on how much the Xperia Z4 will cost, however as it's a flagship
smartphone (and a Sony one at that) we'd expect it to ship with a high
price tag.
The Xperia Z3 launched at £549 ($630, AU$849) and we'd expect the Z4 to launch at around the same price.
Rumours have also suggested that Sony could be plotting two versions of its flagship smartphone.
There would be a Z4 with a 1080 x 1920 full high definition screen,
similar to the one found on the Xperia Z3. The second version would
offer a much higher 1440 x 2560 (QHD) resolution.
These rumours
claim that the 1080p version will cost less than the QHD version, though
we'd take those claims with a pinch of salt.
Sony Xperia Z4 design
The
Xperia Z3's attractive OmniBalance design was one of its strongest
features, and it looks like Sony won't be straying too far from that
template.
According
to a source that contacted Phone Arena, the Xperia Z4 will have thinner
top and bottom bezels as well as more rounded corners as you can sort
of see in the accompanying image.
You may not have to imagine what
the Z4 may look like any more, after images apparently taken from the
email account of the Sony CEO during the major Sony hack reveals early renders of the Xperia Z4. It's actually the 5th generation of Xperia Z (credit: Gizmodo)What
can you expect then? Well a mirrored front and rear, the
now-traditional oversized power/lock key on the right and three colour
options - white, black and yellow. That's if the images are correct, of
course.
Annotated images that were included in the leak show that the Xperia Z4 could come with a 1.2mm glass panel and resin bezel. Another recent rumour suggested that Sony could be releasing a Walkman edition of the Xperia Z4.
This version would concentrate on music playing with hi-res audio codec
support, two-day battery life and improved S-Force PRO front-facing
speakers.
Releasing multiple versions of its upcoming flagship
smartphone could be a risky move on Sony's part, but more choice might
not be a bad thing for the consumer looking to buy a phone that focuses
on their specific interest.
Sony Xperia Z4 screen
There's been a lot of conflicting reports on the Xperia Z4's screen. One area of contention is how large the screen will be. Early rumours hinted that the screen would be 5.5-inches, a fair bit larger than the 5.2-inch display on the Xperia Z3.
Another rumour suggested that the screen will be slightly smaller at 5.4-inches, though still an upgrade over the Z3.
The latest rumours
we've heard about the size of the Xperia Z4's screen claims that
neither of those sizes is correct, and instead Sony will be sticking
with a 5.2-inch display.
The other detail rumours seem to be
conflicted on is regarding the resolution of the screen. Although some
rumours claim that Sony is sticking with 1080p as the resolution, other rumours are suggesting it will get a substantial boost to QHD 1440 x 2560, the same as the LG G3.
Perhaps most interestingly we've also heard rumours that both these resolutions are correct, and that Sony will be release two different versions of the Xperia Z4.
