Could Sony make a comeback with fingerprint scanners, great cameras and a 4K phablet at IFA next week?
Sony's last flagship was the Xperia Z3 and their next is expected to be the Z5. This is because the Z4 was only released in Japan and was also called the Z3+ (pictured). Confused? You're not alone. Photo: Sony
Sony's last flagship was the Xperia Z3 and their next is expected to be the Z5. This is because the Z4 was only released in Japan and was also called the Z3+ (pictured). Confused? You're not alone. Photo: Sony
Rumours and speculation have been bubbling for months online about the new phones Sony is expected to unveil in September, although if you've only been paying to the mainstream zeitgeist you'd be forgiven for thinking the Japanese company had stopped making phones entirely.
After a big splash with the waterproof, two-day-battery-toting Xperia Z2 in early 2014, Sony refined and improved its design with the Z3, set a high bar for small phones with the powerful Z3 Compact, and in the year since has struggled to hold the attention of the masses with its erratic release schedule and obtuse naming conventions.
An Xperia Z4 released in Japan was so similar to the Z3 that Sony didn't dare bring it to any other shores (in some regions it was later released as the Z3+). Australia in particular has seen a confusing bevy of new phones announced from the selfie-focused C3, C4 and striking phablet C5 Ultra to the budget E4 and the waterproof M4 and M5.
Next week at the IFA conference in Berlin, so say the rumours, Sony will return to the Z line and attempt to claw back some mindshare with a device packed with latest in Sony-made screen and camera tech, the newest Android software, impressive specs and a now ubiquitous fingerprint sensor. It's widely assumed to be called the Xperia Z5.
Familiar design, new features
Earlier this month a series of images from Twitter user "ViziLeaks" appeared to show an Xperia Z5 and the smaller Z5 Compact. The phones in the pictures follow the flat, monolithic glass 'omnibalance' design seen on all Z devices to date, although both appear to feature the kind of grippy edges and padded corners seen on the Z3 Compact.
The images show regular micro USB ports as opposed to the previously rumoured USB C, but confirm another rumour: that the Z5 devices will come with a built-in fingerprint scanner. Unlike that found on Apple and Samsung devices, Sony's supposed scanner is mounted on the side of the device, doubling as the power button. You can see the long, white scanner in the tweets below.
After a big splash with the waterproof, two-day-battery-toting Xperia Z2 in early 2014, Sony refined and improved its design with the Z3, set a high bar for small phones with the powerful Z3 Compact, and in the year since has struggled to hold the attention of the masses with its erratic release schedule and obtuse naming conventions.
An Xperia Z4 released in Japan was so similar to the Z3 that Sony didn't dare bring it to any other shores (in some regions it was later released as the Z3+). Australia in particular has seen a confusing bevy of new phones announced from the selfie-focused C3, C4 and striking phablet C5 Ultra to the budget E4 and the waterproof M4 and M5.
Next week at the IFA conference in Berlin, so say the rumours, Sony will return to the Z line and attempt to claw back some mindshare with a device packed with latest in Sony-made screen and camera tech, the newest Android software, impressive specs and a now ubiquitous fingerprint sensor. It's widely assumed to be called the Xperia Z5.
Familiar design, new features
Earlier this month a series of images from Twitter user "ViziLeaks" appeared to show an Xperia Z5 and the smaller Z5 Compact. The phones in the pictures follow the flat, monolithic glass 'omnibalance' design seen on all Z devices to date, although both appear to feature the kind of grippy edges and padded corners seen on the Z3 Compact.
The images show regular micro USB ports as opposed to the previously rumoured USB C, but confirm another rumour: that the Z5 devices will come with a built-in fingerprint scanner. Unlike that found on Apple and Samsung devices, Sony's supposed scanner is mounted on the side of the device, doubling as the power button. You can see the long, white scanner in the tweets below.
Mobile photography fans will be pleased to see that the devices retain the hardware shutter button for snapping steady pics without needing to touch the screen.
Go big or go home :
To date, the only big screen Z series phone was released in July 2013. Even risk-averse Apple fully committed to the phablet craze with the iPhone 6 Plus, but Sony's kept the bigger phones for its lesser product lines, like the media-focused T and selfie-focused M.
That could all change next week, with bloggers uncovering a user agent profile for a supersized Z5 (which means someone somewhere is using the phone to access websites) indicating some cutting edge specs, chief among them a 4K resolution screen.
The current high bar for phone screens is Quad HD, and while the two standards are frequently confused, 4K actually has a much higher pixel count (3840 x 2160, as opposed to Quad HD which is 2560 x 1440).
Assuming the Z5 phablet has a screen of 5.5 inches, a 4K screen would give it an astonishing pixel density of 801 pixels per inch (PPI). For comparison, the iPhone 6 Plus has an identically-sized screen and a pixel density of 401 PPI.
Sony was one of the first companies to champion the format for televisions, so it's believable it could bring its software and expertise to help it shine on a phone. It remains to be seen whether a 4K resolution on a screen so small would offer any advantage over Quad HD, but it's certainly a talking point.
Some sites have supposed the Z5 phablet to be called the "Xperia Z5 Plus", but given it already used 'plus' in an attempt to cover up its Z4 blunder, I think this would be too confusing even for Sony. "Z5 Ultra" seems more likely. Images apparently leaked from an internal slideshow seem to confirm the existence of the phablet.
To date, the only big screen Z series phone was released in July 2013. Even risk-averse Apple fully committed to the phablet craze with the iPhone 6 Plus, but Sony's kept the bigger phones for its lesser product lines, like the media-focused T and selfie-focused M.
That could all change next week, with bloggers uncovering a user agent profile for a supersized Z5 (which means someone somewhere is using the phone to access websites) indicating some cutting edge specs, chief among them a 4K resolution screen.
The current high bar for phone screens is Quad HD, and while the two standards are frequently confused, 4K actually has a much higher pixel count (3840 x 2160, as opposed to Quad HD which is 2560 x 1440).
Assuming the Z5 phablet has a screen of 5.5 inches, a 4K screen would give it an astonishing pixel density of 801 pixels per inch (PPI). For comparison, the iPhone 6 Plus has an identically-sized screen and a pixel density of 401 PPI.
Sony was one of the first companies to champion the format for televisions, so it's believable it could bring its software and expertise to help it shine on a phone. It remains to be seen whether a 4K resolution on a screen so small would offer any advantage over Quad HD, but it's certainly a talking point.
Some sites have supposed the Z5 phablet to be called the "Xperia Z5 Plus", but given it already used 'plus' in an attempt to cover up its Z4 blunder, I think this would be too confusing even for Sony. "Z5 Ultra" seems more likely. Images apparently leaked from an internal slideshow seem to confirm the existence of the phablet.
A focus on the camera:
As with its fancy screen technology, cameras are an area you expect Sony to be on top of. After all, this is a company that not only makes sensors for its own high-end cameras, but also for its smartphone competitors at Apple and Samsung.
Despite this, the camera hardware on Z phones has been identical since the Z2. It seems a big change is coming in terms of imaging, and this tidbit is actually from Sony itself, or at least one of its European bureaus:
he shape and size of the phone in the picture makes it unlikely this is a flagship Xperia Z5, although it could easily be the Z5 Compact (or, if Sony hasn't learnt its lesson, something completely different).
There are countless other bits and pieces that point to what Sony could be cooking up (for example it launched a quiet test of a new "stripped back" Android skin in July, could it be looking to ditch the bloatware?), but the most convincing rumours point to a trio of high-end phones that update the Z3 in predictable but powerful ways.
The landmark in the teaser image above is the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, and the date points to a couple of days before IFA gets underway in that city, so it's clear we don't have long to wait to find out if Sony has the goods to get it back out of the shadows.
There are countless other bits and pieces that point to what Sony could be cooking up (for example it launched a quiet test of a new "stripped back" Android skin in July, could it be looking to ditch the bloatware?), but the most convincing rumours point to a trio of high-end phones that update the Z3 in predictable but powerful ways.
The landmark in the teaser image above is the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, and the date points to a couple of days before IFA gets underway in that city, so it's clear we don't have long to wait to find out if Sony has the goods to get it back out of the shadows.
