Update February 25: The new Sony Xperia flagship has been announced, and it has a new name: The Sony Xperia 1. You can read all of the official specs and details at our full article on Sony's new model.
Though not famous as the iPhone and Galaxy, Sony's Xperia line of devices have become the mainstay of many Android aficionados. And with the introduction of the XZ2, the famous company ditched the familiar, blocky design that its smartphones were known for, in favor a sleek, curvier appearance. This same design element has carried over to the XZ3, and will likely continue on with the upcoming XZ4.
With the arrival of the XZ4, Sony will likely pull out all the stops in terms of design in the hopes of grabbing some of the market share from more dominant competitors like Samsung and Google. Compared to other upcoming releases like the Galaxy S10, however, details regarding the XZ4 have been few and far between. That said, here's what we have so far regarding the upcoming Xperia flagship.
Announcement & Release
Sony has been pretty consistent with unveiling its flagship devices on a biannual basis, with the first phone entering the market around spring, followed by the second handset around fall. For reference, we only need to look back to the XZ4's predecessors, the Xperia XZ2 and XZ3, which were released on April 5 and October 5, respectively.
Based on past Xperia releases, it was widely accepted that Sony would aim for an April announcement for the XZ4, as speculated on by sites like Digital Trends. We may be in for an early treat, however, as the latest flagship may be announced earlier than usual, if we go by a newly-surfaced leak.
Japanese site Sumahoinfo has gotten its hands on a Russian invite for Sony's press event for MWC 2019 in Barcelona. The presentation, which is scheduled to take place on February 25, 2019 at 2:30 AM EST, has fueled much speculation, with sites like XperiaBlog wondering if the XZ4's announcement will be made around that time.
Display
The Xperia XZ3 was no slouch in the screen department, and boasted a 6 inch OLED display which put it on par with other flagship phones like the Galaxy S9. If a recent leak turns out to be true, Sony will take things up a notch — without actually implementing one — with the XZ4.
Onleaks and MySmartPrice have recently released CAD-based renders of the Xperia XZ4, which gives us the best estimation yet of how the flagship will look. One of the most apparent features of the device is its tall screen, which MySmartPrice mentions as being 6.5 inches diagonally. And unlike a whole slew of devices that copied Apple's notch, Sony decided to buck the trend and forgo its use.
Because of its massive notch-less display, the Xperia XZ4 will have an impressive aspect ratio of 21:9. Despite this, however, the XZ4 is relatively compact, and measures of 6.57 x 2.85 x 0.32 inches, due in part to its thin bezel design.
Cameras
In a first for Sony, the upcoming XZ4 will sport a main camera that consists of three separate lenses and sensors. According to renders leaked by MySmartPrice and Onleaks, the triple camera system will be arranged vertically along the top-center of the device for a more symmetrical look.
Apparently, that's just the tip of the iceberg, as Sony plans to equip its upcoming flagship with the most advanced camera sensors to date, if new rumors are to be believed. According to Japanese site Sumahoinfo, the Xperia XZ4 triple camera system will center around a main shooter with an impressive 52 MP sensor.
Sumahoinfo goes on to claim that the newest Xperia will utilize a 16 MP telephoto camera located at the top, along with a 0.3 MP Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensor placed at the bottom to compliment its main camera.
While we should take this seemingly outlandish rumor with a grain of salt, it's definitely worth considering, given Sony's vast experience with camera development and manufacturing. Keep in mind that the company is a major supplier of camera modules (think Sony Exmor) for other OEMs like Google, Samsung, and LG, just to name a few.
Will Come in at Least Two Variants
Sonny's flagship XZ line usually comes in multiple variants, and the XZ4 will be no exception. As reported by CompreRaja and Onleaks, a compact model is in the works, and will feature a smaller 5-inch display along with a single rear camera unit. And if the renders provided by Onleaks prove to be accurate, the XZ4 Compact will also sport dual front speakers, but at the cost of thicker upper and lower bezels.
Battery & Internal Specs
The march towards ever larger batteries continues on with the Xperia XZ4, and according to recent leaks, Sony's flagship will pack a sizable punch battery-wise. TechnoBezz reports that the XZ4 will have a massive 4,400 mAh battery, which will be truly impressive if true, especially when you consider the battery size in relation to its 6.57 x 2.85 x 0.32-inch frame.
As a flagship handset, it's widely believed that the Android 9.0 Pie-based Xperia XZ4 will be powered by the latest Snapdragon 855 SoC, along with 6 GB or RAM. In addition, the device will come standard with 128 GB of internal storage, and feature MicrSD card support for up to 512 GB of expandable memory.
Pricing
So far, there's no concrete information about how much the Xperia XZ4 will cost. Based off the XZ3's $900 price tag, however, Digital Trends speculates that the XZ4 will roughly cost around the same price, so start saving now if you'd like to purchase or upgrade to this device.
That's all the juicy tidbits we have so far about Sony's potentially game changing flagship. Of course, we'll continue to stay on the lookout for any new information that bubbles up to the surface, so be sure to check back often.
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