It’s being referred to as, unsurprisingly, the Xperia Z3, and here’s what we’ve heard about the new phone so far.
How will it be different to the Xperia Z2?
This is the big question, and it’s one which we can’t answer just yet. There’s a chance it may not be much of an upgrade over the Z2, or Sony could give it more power, fitting it with Qualcomm’s highly anticipated Snapdragon 805 processor. A report originating from a Chinese website claimed the Xperia Z3 would have a 2.7GHz version of the chip, along with the new Adreno 420 graphics processor, and 3GB of RAM.
However, that may be wishful thinking. A leak from @evleaks said the Z3 will have a Snapdragon 801 running at 2.4GHz, but still boasting 3GB of RAM. A screenshot published by the XperiaBlog, supposedly showing the device’s About Phone page, also listed a Snapdragon 801 chip. Finally, a tweet from developer and XDA forum regular DooMLoRD also said the Snapdragon 805 wouldn’t be used in the Xperia Z3.
How about the other specs?
The @evleaks leak lists the phone coming with a 5.15-inch screen with a 1080p resolution. The About Phone screenshot also had a 1080p resolution. It seems the screen size and resolution may stay the same as the Xperia Z2, meaning Sony doesn’t feel the need to compete with the LG G3 and its Quad HD display.
The camera may have 20.7-megapixels, just like the Xperia Z2, and the front cam 2.1-megapixels. According to @evleaks, the OS will be Android 4.4.4 KitKat.
Will Xperia Z3 look any different than the Z2?
Probably not, but then, none of Sony’s flagship Android phones have drastically changed over the past few years, showing the company is happy with its sleek design. A series of images leaked on the Weibo social network, and the Digi-wo website, show a phone which closely resembles the Z3.
The choice of a black and white chassis seems likely, and the only visual changes could be a more rounded, and if another tweet from DooMLoRD is correct, an even slimmer 7mm chassis. Like previous Xperia Z phones, the chassis will most likely be water and dust resistant.
When will it be announced?
At the moment, the IFA tech show in Berlin seems to be the most likely venue for the Xperia Z3’s announcement. The Xperia X2 arrived in late February 2014, and the Xperia Z1 back in September 2013, at last year’s IFA. This all fits in with Sony’s approximate refresh cycle. This year’s IFA show begins on September 5, so we’ll find out more then. We can be fairly sure it’ll come to the U.S. eventually, as it has passed through the FCC, but as with other Sony phones, expect it to be sold through the company’s own online store initially.
