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Sony Xperia Z4 – What we know so far

Sony has just got done with the Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact but already it’s looking ahead to the Xperia Z4, a phone which might be with us sooner rather than later given the company’s current tactics of releasing two flagships a year.

While the Xperia Z3 was minor upgrade over the Xperia Z2, it looks like the Xperia Z4 might be a substantial improvement based on what we’ve heard so far and a phone for any Sony or Android fan to get excited about.

When’s it out?

While we can’t say for sure, we’re expecting the Sony Xperia Z4 to launch early next year. More specifically it will probably be announced at MWC 2015, which takes places from the 2nd-5th of March.

Sony announced the Xperia Z2 at MWC 2014 and by bringing the Xperia Z4 to MWC 2015 it will leave roughly a six month gap between it and the Xperia Z3, which would make sense if it’s sticking to two phones a year.

Though there’s talk that this could be the last time Sony releases a flagship at six month intervals, switching to yearly releases after the Xperia Z4.

While the Xperia Z4 will probably be announced in March it may not launch until April, as the camera unit that’s likely to feature in the phone isn’t dropping until then.

What will it cost?

There’s no word on what the Sony Xperia Z4 will cost, but we’d expect it to be at least as much as the Xperia Z3, which arrived for £525 SIM free. Assuming it’s a substantial improvement it may even be slightly more expensive, so you’d better start saving.

What design will it have?

While a lot of things are set to dramatically change in the Xperia Z4 the design doesn’t seem to be one of them. “Trusted sources” speaking to Android Origin claim that it will have the same omnibalance design as past handsets in the line, so expect a rectangular build with a glass back and metal frame similar to the Z3 pictured below.

Sony Xperia Z3 - All Colours

It will also almost certainly be water and dust resistant, just like past Xperia’s. However don’t expect Sony to leave the design totally unchanged. We wouldn’t be surprised if it gets even thinner and perhaps has a smaller bezel.

What do we know about the screen?

Sources at Android Origin claim that the Xperia Z4 will be boosted up to a 5.5 inch 2560 x 1440 display, which would be a big upgrade over the 5.2 inch 1080p Xperia Z2.

We’d say the change is quite likely as a number of smartphones are starting to pack in QHD screens, though one of the most impressive aspects of the Xperia Z3 is its battery life and it’s hard to imagine that wouldn’t take a hit with all those extra pixels.

Sony Xperia Z4 - Leaked Front Panel

 On the other hand Future Supplier has shared some pictures which supposedly show the Xperia Z4’s front panel alongside the Z3’s and based on the images it doesn’t look much if any bigger than the Z3, which calls the size increase into question and by extension also the resolution increase.

What about the rest of the specs?

Android Origin also claims the Xperia Z4 will have some seriously impressive specs, listing a 2.8GHz 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor, an Adreno 430 GPU and 4GB of RAM. That would outmatch any phone available right now and be a massive upgrade over the Xperia Z3, but it’s not unbelievable, as the Snapdragon 810 is expected to start appearing in phones early next year.

The site goes on to say that it will apparently have 32GB of built in storage (up from 16GB in the Xperia Z3), LTE Cat.6 connectivity (which allows for download speeds of up to 300Mbps), Bluetooth 4.1 and an upgraded camera with a  curved Exmor RS CMOS sensor and a similar resolution to the 20.7 megapixel snapper in the Z3.

In fact we can even hazard a guess that the exact camera used will be the Exmore RS IMX230, which Sony has announced as being released in April. That could coincide nicely with the Xperia Z4 and the unit features the ability to better focus on fast moving objects and can also record 4K video and take high-resolution shots with HDR.

Other possible specs include a dedicated amp, according to Android Origin, which should deliver improved audio quality. While it’s a safe bet that the Xperia Z4 will have a microSD card slot as past handsets in the line have.

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