The Xperia Z3 may have just been revealed at IFA 2014, but Sony's speedy release schedule means we have already began getting excited for its next flagship device hitting us in 2015. Recent speculation has suggested that Sony is ditching its two flagships per-year approach (sadly it hasn't appeared to do its smartphones sales much good) but it looks like Xperia Z4 might just pack enough punch to carry us through to 2016. Update: We've just heard that the Xperia Z4 may be packing an incredible, probably too-good-to-be-true camera - head to the new 'Xperia Z4 camera' section to read the lates
Sony Xperia Z4 release date
The original Sony Xperia Z was released in February of 2013, with the Xperia Z2 following a year later in March 2014. Sony had previously stated that it wanted to beat the yearly release cycle that most manufacturers have set for their flagship handsets and instead release them on a bi-annual basis, which is why the Xperia Z3 landed in the Autumn. This idea appears to have been abandoned now, and we think that the Xperia Z4 will be the only flagship released by Sony next year, so here's hoping it produces more than a just a modest upgrade over the Xperia Z3.
What all of this means for the Xperia Z4 release date is that it may materialize around April next year, but maybe even as soon as March to coincide with the 2015 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which takes place between the 2nd and 5th of that month.
Sony Xperia Z4 price
Let’s be real. The Sony Xperia Z range is known for premium materials and hardware. The Z3 features a glass and aluminium housing, 20 MP camera, quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 5.2-inch full-HD display and 2 GB RAM. Oh, and it’s waterproof. The Z4 will be at least as powerful, so you can expect to pay top-dollar when it does come around.
The Xperia Z3 is available for pre-order in the UK for 549 GBP off-contract (or 515 GBP on Clove), and the 6-month old Z2 currently goes for 399 GBP (down from the 549 GBP RRP). The Verizon-based Z3v will start at 199 USD on a two-year contract. We expect similar sort of prices for the next generation.
Sony Xperia Z4 specs
While Sony has previously claimed that it doesn't believe in QHD technology due to the battery life trade-off, the latest leak from Android Origin includes a 5.5-inch QHD (2560 x 1440) display for the Xperia Z4. The rest of the specs revealed include a 64-bit compatible quad-core Snapdragon 810 (not even the 808), 4 GB of RAM, and 32 GB as the base model for internal storage.
Category 6 LTE (up to 300 Mbps download speeds) and Bluetooth 4.1 are a given, but one of the most exciting tidbits is that the Xperia Z4 might be getting amplifiers for its speakers, creating an audio experience like HTC's BoomSound. We'll just wait and see how much of this pans out, but if all this works out as leaked, then the ''minor upgrade to fit the six-month update cycle'' problem may be a thing of the past, because the Z4 looks to be shaping up as seriously next-gen if it appears on schedule.
Sony Xperia Z4 camera
Update: Courtesy of sonyalpharumors.com, it looks like Sony is advancing smartphone camera quality to a substantial degree, producing the world's first active pixel color sampling sensor (APCS) in 2015. A leaked document reveals that Sony is producing a 1.5 inch sensor with 4.8 million pixels, which doesn't seem so impressive until you consider that each individual pixel is said to be capable of carrying full RGBG information thanks to Sony's new technology. (This basically means 1 pixel created by this camera sensor can perform the job of 4 regular pixels)
What does this mean to the end-user? It means higher-dynamic range, faster processing, lower-noise, no need for anti-aliasing, an electronic global shutter, and 2K video recording at 16,000 FPS. Oh and a mega-pixel count which stretches far beyond the current 20 MP smartphone cap. Whether or not this camera will make its way to the Xperia Z4, we aren't sure, but it certainly seems to be in the pipeline. And if Sony is only producing one flagship next year, this would certainly be a way to sell it.
Sony Xperia Z4 features
It's safe to assume that Android 5.0 will be running on any device released next year, so you can bet the Z4 will come with Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box, along with all of the benefits it brings.
That's basically what we think we know about the Xperia Z4. We'll update this page with more information as we get it, until then, you might want to check out how the Z3 compares to another modern flagship in our Xperia Z3 vs LG G3 comparison.
Are you excited about the Xperia Z4? Do you think the leaked specs can be done in time?
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