Looks like Sony will soon be offering a successor to the Xperia Z3 Compact. A new Sony smartphone with model E5663 has been spotted on a couple of benchmarking sites and its specs are quite interesting. If the specs are to be believed, the new handset appears to be the next gen Sony Xperia Z4 Compact.
The benchmark data shows that the new Sony E5663 will feature a 4.6-inch display with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels which is an upgrade over Xperia Z3 Compact’s 4.6-inch 720p resolution screen. This is also the first less than 5-inch Sony phone to sport a 1080p display.
The Sony E5663 will be powered by a 64-bit octa-core MediaTek ARM MT6795 processor clocked at 1.95GHz and PowerVR Rogue G6200 GPU. Other specs include 3GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, 20.7MP rear camera and a powerful 13MP front-facing camera. Till now we have seen front-facing cameras only as high as 5MP in Sony devices. So this would make a great selfie phone. The device will run Android Lollipop.
Sony model E5663 has also appeared on the Indian import-export tracker site Zauba.com which shows 2 units of the device to having landed in New Delhi from China. So it is possible that the handset may be launched in India.
Well, for now we can’t say for sure that the model E5663 will be released as Xperia Z4 Compact. It is possible that the handset is launched with a different name. We will keep you informed as soon as we know more about it.
After announcing the Xperia Z3+ for the global audience, Sony has now come out with a video commercial highlighting its two-day battery life with the tagline “Xperia Z3+ – Embrace the power to explore with up to 2 days battery life”.
The ad shows how the new smartphone’s battery can last up to two days and it is also waterproof so that you can take it to the swimming pool with you. Although Sony has downsized the Xperia Z3+ battery to 2930mAh from 3100mAh in Xperia Z3, it is still promising a full two days of battery life.
To be honest, the Xperia Z3+ is a bit of a let down for Sony fans as it has very few feature upgrades over its predecessor Z3. The 5.2-inch FHD Triluminos IPS display with 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage and the 20.7MP primary camera are all the same.
Its processor is more powerful though. The new Xperia Z3+ has a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 CPU and Adreno 430 GPU, while the Xperia Z3 has Snapdragon 801 chipset and Adreno 330 GPU. The front-facing camera has been upgraded from 2MP to 5MP. The Xperia Z3+ is also slightly thinner than the Z3.
Sony Mobile is preparing to hold press conferences in Taiwan and Hong Kong next week. According to the local media reports, the company would be unveiling a new flagship there. The press event in Taiwan is scheduled for May 27 while the one in Hong Kong will take place on May 28.
In Taiwan, Sony is expected to unveil the selfie-centric Xperia C4 and the Xperia Z4 Tablet. ePrice Taiwan says that at both the events, Sony will also be introducing a new flagship which it calls the Xperia Z3 Plus, a smartphone basically like the Xperia Z4 that the company released in Japan last month. This Z3 Plus (or Z3+) is probably the flagship variant of Xperia Z4 meant for the rest of the world. At the time of its release in Japan, there were rumors that the rest of the world would get the flagship in May, which seem to be coming true.
Sony has also sent out invitations in Hong Kong for a press conference to be held on May 28 to release “The new Xperia flagship product” which has “Top shot, screen, sound, water and design all in one.” The device will also apparently have a new color. Reports also say that four product development engineers from Japan will be sent to the Hong Kong press conference to give info about the new models.
Sony India is also holding a press conference in India a day earlier i.e. on May 26 where it is likely to launch the mid-ranger Xperia M4 Aqua. It is not known whether the Japanese smartphone maker will launch the new flagship Xperia Z3+/Z4 there.
We will keep you informed about it as soon as we know more.
Looking to the success of its Xperia C3 “PROselfie” phone achieved, Sony has come out with its successor, another selfie-centric phone, the Xperia C4 along with its dual SIM variant. This next gen PROselfie smartphone features 5MP front-facing camera having a 25mm wide-angle lens, Sony’s own Exmor R for mobile sensor, soft LED flash and HDR to give beautiful pictures even in poor lighting conditions.
At the back, the Xperia C4 has a 13MP with Sony’s Exmor sensor, autofocus and HDR to give some great shots. The phone also packs a suite of camera apps including the Style portrait app to add styles like ‘vampire’ or ‘mystery’ to your selfie or the AR Mask app that allows you to place another face over your or other person’s face while taking a selfie.
Other features include a 5.5-inch 1080p resolution Full HD display with Bravia Engine 2 and super vivid mode from Sony’s TV technology that offer clarity and vivid colors for a great viewing experience. Its IPS technology allows you to view things from any angle.
Under the hood, the new Sony Xperia C4 has a 64-bit octa-core MediaTek MT6752 processor clocked at 1.7GHz, an ARM Mali760 MP2 700 MHz GPU for graphics, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of flash memory, a slot for up to 128GB microSD card and a 2600mAh battery that provides about 8 hours of video viewing time. On the audio front, the handset features 3D Surround Sound, Clear Audio and sound improvement, Clear Bass, manual equalizer, xLOUD, stereo recording, FM radio etc.
Sony Xperia C4 has a glass and aluminum body having dimensions of 150.3 x 77.4 x 7.9 mm and weighs 147 grams. Its screen is scratch resistant but this phone isn’t water and dust proof. The device will run Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box.
Sony’s new selfie phone will be come in three colors – White, Black and Mint. Both the Single SIM and Dual SIM versions will hit the shelves in select markets in early June this year.
Sony has recently announced the much awaited Xperia Z4 but only for its domestic market Japan. Later, we heard rumors that the Japanese tech giant would be outing another flagship phone for the international markets that is to be released in May this year.
We now have a new leak from the Chinese website cnbeta.com who has posted images, specs and dimensions of a Sony smartphone touted as the Xperia P2 which may be this second flagship meant for the global markets. Sony had released Xperia P about three years back and may be planning to revive its Xperia P series with Xperia P2.
The Xperia P2 is a high-end model appearing slightly boxy with an all-metal back and a transparent band like its predecessor. Its thickness ranges between 8.9mm and 10.9mm which is quite thick compared to the slim phones coming out now-a-days but its battery is an impressive 4,240 mAh justifying it.
Xperia P2 specs include a 5.2” Triluminos IPS display with 1920 x 1080 pixels (FHD) resolution, a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor clocked at 1.9GHz, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of native storage, 12.1MP rear camera with 1/2.3 Exmor RS CMOS with 4K video recording and a 5.1MP front-facing camera.
As such, the specs of the Xperia Z4 are almost same except the rear camera, which is 12 MP in Xperia P2 against 20.7MP in the Z4 model. So speculations are rife whether this would be Sony’s new flagship for the international markets.
For Sony fans who were disappointed with the recently announced Xperia Z4, there is good news. There is word that the Sony’s next Xperia flagship is going to get a new design as well as major changes in the camera. Earlier in the month we have already heard rumors that Sony Xperia Z5 will launch in Q4 of 2015 along with Xperia Z5 Compact and Xperia Z5 Ultra with an all-new design.
The recent leak about Xperia Z5 is from the well-known leakster Ricciolo whose quite a few leaks have turned out to be spot on. Ricciolo has shared on twitter a blurred sunset photo which shows the ‘scene selection’ menu with the pic taken with ‘Normal‘ settings and ‘Sunrise & Sunset HDR‘ mode. He also mentions that the next Sony Xperia flagship will have a “new Camera/sensor/lens/software” plus new “design/identity” and also mentioning #futureflagnotthatfar. This means that the future flagship with the new camera features will be coming soon.
You can have a look at it below:
Well, the new camera might include the new Exmor RS IMX230 sensor and OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) which no Sony device has as yet. As for the new design, we will have to wait and see.
Sony may have been late in implementing Android Lollipop upgrade across its devices but it is trying to make up for it now. It is gradually updating all of its models in the Xperia Z family with Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Sony started rolling out the Lollipop updates to the newer Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact a couple of weeks ago, followed by updates to Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, Xperia Z2 and Xperia Z2 Tablet the very next day. At the time it had announced that it would bring the Android Lollipop upgrades to “more Xperia Z series products” in about two weeks time.
True to its word, now after two weeks Sony begins the next wave of lollipop upgrades for the older Xperia Z series phones. The company has confirmed that its Xperia T2 Ultra and Xperia C3 are also getting the Android Lollipop.
Sony has released a teaser on its Google+ account hinting at the imminent Android Lollipop upgrade to its classic Xperia Z smartphone. The company has posted a photo of Xperia Z showing the Lollipop lockscreen with the tag line “coming soon…” beside it. It also stands to reason that since Xperia Z will be getting the Lollipop, the Xperia Z1 will also get it somewhere during that time.
The exact date of the Lollipop roll out to Xperia Z has not been mentioned though. We will let you know once we know it. So stay with us.
Sony is a big name in the consumer electronics industry and while the Japanese multinational has been quite successful in the TV and gaming business, its mobile phones business hasn’t been doing too well. However, its Xperia Z3 smartphone line up has been well received and Sony seems to be determined to turn around its mobile business by introducing newer models.
A recent report by DigiTimes suggests that Sony Mobile may be coming out with a new 6-inch Xperia smartphone soon. Sony’s ODMs (Original Design Manufacturers) in Taiwan have reportedly begun manufacturing a new 6-inch device for the company. It is not clear whether this will be a mid-range handset like the 6-inch Xperia T2 Ultra or a successor to the premium 6.4-inch Xperia Z Ultra which the company had launched in 2013.
DigiTimes also reports that Sony is targeting total shipment of 38 million smartphones during the fiscal year April 2015-March 2016. This figure is a little lower compared to total shipments of 39.2 million smartphones in the previous fiscal ended March 2015.These aren’t official figures given by the Sony but they have been disclosed by sources in Taiwan’s handset supply chain.
Sources say that the lower shipment target is on account of company revamping its mobile device business and shifting focus from low-end to mid-range devices to mid-range and premium models.
Although no new orders have been received from Sony since Q4 of 2014, Taiwan’s ODMs have already started manufacturing and shipping some new smartphone models including Xperia E4 by Arima Communications, Xperia E4g by Compal Electronics and Xperia M4 Aqua by Foxconn/FIH Mobile.
Sony has already unveiled four new devices in 2015 namely, Xperia E4, Xperia E4g, Xperia M4 Aqua and Xperia Z4 Tablet. However, the much awaited flagship model Sony Xperia Z4 is yet to be unveiled by the company. The handset is expected to be launched by Sony in summer before September this year. We can’t say if the rumored 6-inch smartphone will be launched alongside Xperia Z4 or separately.
MWC 2015 also saw Sony unveil its new Xperia Z4 Tablet, a slim and sleek 10.1-inch Android tablet with 2K display and a long battery life. The new tablet is 6.1 mm thin and it is also the lightest, weighing only 389 grams. The Xperia Z4 Tablet is the successor to the Xperia Z2 Tablet.
Camera: 8.1MP primary camera, 5.1MP front-facing camera
Battery: 6000 mAh, up to 17 hours of video playback
OS: Android 5.0 Lollipop
Colors: White and Black
Have a look at the Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet video here:
Please scroll down for official images.
And now the detailed info about the specs:
Design and display
The Xperia Z4 Tablet features a 10.1-inch display with a high 2K resolution offering the user a great viewing experience anywhere, even in direct sunlight. The beautiful Sony craftsmanship is evident in the design of this light and easily portable tablet. The slate is just 6.1mm thin and weighs 389 grams with WI-Fi and 393 grams with Wi-Fi and LTE. The tablet has overall dimensions of 167 x 254 x 6.1 mm and is made from mineral glass and has high quality stainless steel metal corners.
The tablet is water and dust resistant with IP65/68 certification making it durable for daily use. No need to worry when caught up in rain or beside the pool. It has a cap-less USB connector for quick and convenient charging.
Processor, other hardware and performance
Sony’s Xperia Z4 Tablet carries the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core chipset and Adreno 430 GPU that offers a faster browsing experience and also gives a great graphics experience due to its 2K display. The 64-bit processor enhances the performance and enables it to take full advantage of all the Android Lollipop features.
In addition, the slate boasts of a 3GB RAM, 32GB of flash memory and a microSD card slot for expansion up to 128GB offering ample storage space.
The new tablet is equipped with a 6000 mAh battery that offers video playback of up to 17 hours on a single charge. Its STAMINA mode extends the battery life by switching off some background functions when not in use.
There are powerful front stereo speakers with surround sound effect. It also senses what type of headphones you are using and adjusts the settings automatically to give the best sound. High-Res Audio, DSEE HX processing and digital noise cancelling in the tablet help to provide an optimum audio experience to the user. The tablet also has Sony’s new LDAC codec that is thrice more efficient than Bluetooth in transferring data.
Camera
The Xperia Z4 Tablet sports an 8MP primary camera with 8x digital zoom, Superior Auto Mode and other Sony technologies to give great pictures in any lighting conditions. Up front is a 5.1MP snapper to take selfies and for video calls.
Price and release date
Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet is available in two variants – one with Wi-Fi only and the other with Wi-Fi plus 4G LTE. The tablet will be launched globally in June 2015. However, there is no word from Sony about its pricing yet, but if we are to make a rough guess, it would be somewhere around $500.
Sony has officially announced a new device in its Xperia line of smartphones, the Xperia M4 Aqua, at the Mobile World Congress 2015. It is a waterproof device falling in the mid-range category. It has a beautiful OmniBalance design and offers great features at an affordable price.
Xperia M4 Aqua is a dust and water proof handset having IP 65 and IP 68 certification, meaning it can go up to 5 feet deep in fresh water (1.5 meters) for up to 30 minutes without coming to any harm.
Camera: 13MP rear camera with f/2 lens, 5MP front camera
Battery: 2400 mAh with a two-day battery life
OS: Android 5.0 Lollipop
Colors: White, Black, fresh Coral and silver
Have a look at the Xperia M4 Aqua video here:
Please scroll down for pictures of the handset.
And now the detailed info about the specs:
Design and display
The Xperia M4 Aqua has Sony’s OmniBalance design with a plastic body and a tempered glass display. It is lightweight, weighing only 136 grams. The device sports a premium look but comes at an affordable price. It is a waterproof handset with IP65/8 rating and allows you to take pictures while immersed in water.
The handset offers cap-less micro-USB charging. Its dimensions are 145.5 x 72.6 x 7.3 mm and it will be available in four color variations, Black, White, Fresh Coral and Silver. Sony has adopted Google’s material design in the device and it runs the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Processor and other hardware
The Xperia M4 Aqua is Sony’s first octa-core 64-bit smartphone. It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor (quad-core 1.5GHz and quad-core 1.0GHz) with integrated 4G LTE connectivity. The Snapdragon 615 enables you to have fast and seamless access to Xperia Lounge. Adreno 405 GPU takes care of the graphics.
The device has a 2GB RAM, 8GB or 16GB flash memory and a microSD card slot for expansion up to 32GB. Its battery is 2400 mAh that lasts for up to two-days on normal usage. You can activate the battery STAMINA mode to optimize its usage and use the ultra STAMINA mode to keep the core functions of your phone running for one whole week.
Camera
The Sony Xperia M4 Aqua is equipped with a 13MP primary rear camera having Sony’s Exmor RS mobile sensor with F2.0 aperture and ISO 3200 sensitivity. It has a Superior Auto Mode like the Xperia Z series phones have. The Superior Auto Mode automatically senses and adjusts to different lighting conditions giving great results every time. The camera offers 4x digital zoom and full HD 1080p video recording with SteadyShot video stabilization.
The handset has a 5MP front-facing camera for taking great selfies. It has a wide-angle lens with an 80 degrees field of view. You can give finishing touches to your photo with its Protrait Retouch feature. Then there is the selfie editing feature along with the whole suit of Sony’s Xperia camera apps.
Price and release date
The Xperia M4 Aqua will be launched worldwide across 100 carriers in 80 countries, although there is no information whether it will be available in the US. The handset will come with a price tag of about €299 (equivalent to $335) and will hit the stores in the spring of 2015.
Sony has already confirmed that it will be releasing the new Android 5.0 Lollipop update for its latest flagship Xperia Z3 next month. Now it looks like the Japanese electronics giant is also going to release some new Android on-screen soft keys too.
Sony has been using the same custom soft keys on its devices for some time now but these keys are set to get an update with the Lollipop. Sony recently released an update to its Movie Creator app for Xperia smartphones. The company teased these new Android soft keys in the screenshots showing features of the newly updated Movie Creator app. Looking at the screenshots, it can be seen that Sony has not adopted Google’s Android soft keys totally. The back button and the recent app button have been retained but Sony has tweaked the Home button. The original round outline of the home button has been changed to the outline of a home. Well, now no one can mistake what it stands for!
Since Sony will begin pushing the Android 5.0 Lillipop updates to its Xperia Z3 family in February, those having Xperia Z3 devices will soon see these soft keys on their handsets along with a multitude of other new features and performance enhancements that come with the new Android version.
Those having a Sony smartphone of the Xperia Z3 or Z2 series have good news. The Sony Xperia team has announced on twitter that both the core Sony Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z2 series of smartphones will start getting Android 5.0 Lollipop updates from the beginning of 2015. However, exact date for the roll out has not been revealed.
@SamTomelleri We’ll start the upgrade at beginning of 2015 for the core Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z2 series.
Last month, Sony released Android 5.0 Lollipop’s AOSP version on its Xperia Z3, Xperia Z2 and Xperia Z1 devices and provided the relevant binary files to developers to make their own Android 5.0 ROMs for unlocked Sony Xperia handsets.
In October this year, Sony had announced that it will be updating its entire portfolio of Xperia Z series of devices to Android 5.0. Sony Xperia devices getting these updates are: Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact, Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, Xperia Z3v, Xperia Z2, Xperia Z2 Tablet, Xperia Z1 Compact, Xperia Z1S, Xperia Z, Xperia Z Ultra, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia ZL and Xperia ZR.
Interestingly, Sony Xperia Z Ultra Google Play Edition has already received its Android Lollipop update as it is powered by stock version of Android 5.0.
As CES 2015 is drawing near, frequency of rumors and leaks is increasing. Latest in the line of leaks are the specifications for new members to be added to the Sony Xperia family – Xperia Z4 Compact and Xperia Z4 Ultra, which seem to be quite impressive. Some of the specs for both the Sony devices had already leaked last month but now we have the full deal.
Let’s check out the rumored specs for both:
Xperia Z4 Compact
The upcoming Xperia Z4 Compact is a follow-up on its predecessor, the Xperia Z3 Compact and like it, this one also has flagship-like specs but offered in a more compact form.
The leak suggests that the handset will have a 4.7-inch 1920 x 1080p resolution display and 3GB RAM. It will feature Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 like others in the Xperia Z4 family. Other specs are also supposed to be similar, such as the 32GB internal storage, 20.7MP primary rear camera and 5MP selfie camera with capability for recording 1080p videos. The Xperia Z4 will be outfitted with S-Master HX digital amplifier, superior stereo speakers, LTE Cat.9, NFC and Bluetooth 4.1. The handset will have wireless charging support and IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. There is no info about the battery size but it might be around 3,000mAh.
Xperia Z4 Ultra
Sony’s Xperia Z4 Ultra is a phablet with a 6.44-inch display like the Xperia Z Ultra, its predecessor, but with a Quad HD resolution. In appearance, the handset looks like a bigger version of Xperia Z3 but will have its own stylus, unlike the Xperia Z Ultra that supported only a pencil input. Xperia Z4 Ultra will also sport Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB of RAM, 16Mp rear camera and a bigger battery somewhere between 3500mAh and 4000mAh capacity to support the larger display. Other specs are rumored to be similar to the Xperia Z4 and the Z4 Compact.
It seems that there will be a delay in release of these two handsets as there is a shortage of Snapdragon 810 processors. So they will probably not be launched along with Xperia Z4 and Xperia Z4 Tablet on January 5th as expected earlier. Sources say that the Xperia Z4 Compact and Xperia Z4 Ultra will now launch in the second quarter of 2015.
Sony has been allowing boot loader unlocking for its various devices since long. Sony smartphone users are able to unlock boot loaders of their devices except those bought from certain specific carriers. Sony’s website guides the user in the unlocking process. The simple step-by-step instructions are easy to follow.
Sony has now improved its boot loader unlocking service so that unlocking the boot loader has become easier than before. If you want to unlock your Xperia’s boot loader, go to Sony’s unlock boot loader website which will guide you in the process.
The unlocking procedure consists of three key steps:
Select your device from the dropdown list and press ‘continue’. You will be able to unlock boot loader of your device only if it is in the list. Now enter your email address for verification.
Enter your IMEI number.
You will get an unlock code. Use this code to unlock your device.
The revamped unlock boot loader service gives better instructions and makes it easy for the users to check whether their device is supported by the service. Also, you will get information about the unlocking process that is relevant for your handset only so that there is no clutter and confusion. The website has an FAQ section too that satisfies many user queries.
Once the boot loader of your Xperia phone is unlocked, you cannot revert back to the locked state but you can use Sony’s Flash tool for Xperia™ devices to flash Sony software onto your device. However, your device still remains unlocked.
Important point to note is that unlocking the boot loader might void your handset’s warranty, so it is better to be cautious.
Sony is rumored to be coming out with another new smartphone. A Sony Xperia model D2403 has recently been benchmarked by GFXBench. Although there were rumors about Sony’s mid-range phone Xperia G, this new model does not seem to be it. Leaked specs of Sony D2403 indicate that this may be Sony’s low cost version to Moto G.
Sony D2403 is a 4.4-inch smartphone with 888 x 540p display with capacitive touchscreen, 1.2 GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 CPU and Qualcomm Adreno 305 GPU. It also has 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a front-facing 0.3MP VGA camera.
The main back camera is of 8MP with resolution of 3264 x 2448 with the capability to shoot Full HD videos and also having autofocus, flash, face detection and HDR photo abilities. Other features of the phone include Bluetooth, accelerometer, compass, GPS, Wi-Fi, light sensor and NFC.
Some of the specs such as the 1.2 GHz quad core Snapdragon 400 processor and Adreno305 Graphics, 1GB RAM and 16GB internal storage are similar to those of Moto G. Sony’s D2403 will also probably have Android 4.4.2 KitKat. These features make it competitive with Moto G but the pricing will be lower, say around $200.
It is not clear what the brand name for the Sony D2403 is going to be when it comes out officially. Model number D2403 of the leaked smartphone resembles model number D2303 of Xperia M2 but the size and specs are more like the Xperia L.
