Sony announces Xperia Z3+, the global version of Xperia Z4 announced for Japan

After Sony launched the new flagship Xperia Z4 only for its domestic market Japan, everyone was wondering what Sony had in store for the rest of the world. Well, the suspense is finally over. The Japanese tech major has quietly introduced its global version, the Xperia Z3+. It is just a change in name but more appropriate really, as it is only an incremental upgrade over the previous flagship Xperia Z3.

Xperia Z3+ has the same 5.2-inch FHD Triluminos IPS display with 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution. However, internally it features several upgrades. The handset is powered by the latest 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core CPU and Adreno 430 GPU (Xperia Z3 has Snapdragon 801 and Adreno 330).

Memory at 3GB of RAM remains the same. Built-in storage in Xperia Z3+ will be 32GB, the 16GB option available in Xperia Z3 has been discarded. Rear camera is the same at 20.7MP with Sony Exmor sensor but the front-facing camera gets a bump from 2MP to 5MP giving better selfies. Both the cams have 25mm wide angle lenses. The battery has been downgraded from 3,100mAh in the Z3 to 2,930mAh in the Xperia Z3+. Even then, Sony is promising a battery life of 2 days.

Dimension-wise, it is slightly slimmer at 146.3 x 71.9 x 6.9 mm and also a little lighter at 144g. Small changes have been made in its design. The microUSB port is flapless but the Waterproof/dustproof certification of the device remains the same at IP65/IP68. The front speakers of the handset have been shifted to the edges. The handset will come with Android 5.0 Lollipop pre-installed.

The Xperia Z3+ looks to be a stop-gap arrangement to appease ardent Sony fans. The next flagship will be a real top-of-the-shelf model which may be expected later this year. The new Xperia Z3+ will be released in June but its pricing has not been revealed yet. It will be available in four colors – Black, White, Copper and Aqua Green. A dual SIM variant will also be available at a later date.

Sony announces Xperia Z3+, the global version of Xperia Z4 announced for Japan