It’s new flagship rumour time!  Bored with the Xperia Z2 flagship? Want more from the Xperia Z1 Compact? You’re in luck. Images are making the rounds of what’s rumoured to be the next King of the Xperias, as well as a new Compact too. New Xperia tablets are incoming, not just one, but two are believed to be coming, a flagship tablet and a new compact version!

From the images we can tell a few things are new including a white front face for the first time, not just around the sides and back. Also, take a closer look at the bezel. Sony has started slimming down the bezels now, having resisted doing this for the past few years.

Software update – after Google recently announced the latest Android version ‘L’, available to developers immediately, an Autumn/Fall flagship is very likely to sport the new OS version.

Read on find out more about the new flagship, compact and tablets.

Update – It looks like two new Xperia tablets are in the making, a new flagship tablet and for the first time, a mini, Xperia Compact tablet according to the same source. The Z3 Compact tablet is believed to be an 8″ device and may come in different colours.

1. Another image has appeared showing off the rumoured Z3 design.
2. A benchmark of the Z3 came out a few days ago showing more info on the specs.
3. An online German retailer appears to have leaked the release date – and confirming the name and actual existence of the Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact, due this September.

All of these updates can be read here.

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact

•     Qualcomm 801 CPU
•     2GB RAM
•     4.5″ 720p screen
•     20.7MP main camera, 2.1MP selfie camera
•     Model number D58XX
•     Android 4.4.2

New images have appeared, but not by the same leaker. The original leaker seems to dispute the authenticity of these images. Keeping up with the rumors nonetheless

If these rumoured specs are correct, then the new Compact screen gets a slight bump up to 4.5″ from the current 4.3″ of the Z1 Compact. That could mean the new full-size Z3 flagship would be increasing from the Z2’s 5.2″ screen size. The latest jump in Sony’s camera tech stays roughly the same at 20.7MP though new features and behind-the-scenes tweaks are likely to be padded on.

For both the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact and the full flagship, if this info is correct, then we’re looking at Android 4.4.2, so no ‘Android L’ at launch. Aren’t the manufacturers supposed to have access to new builds before full release? Does that mean that the new flagship is too close to release to wait for L? An August release date might be true then. An L upgrade would follow by Halloween perhaps.

A benchmark of this model smartphone was found just a few days ago over at juggly.cn which reveals more of the Z3s specs:

Sony Xperia Z3 flagship

•     2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 Qualcomm MSM8974 PRO-AC CPU (quad-core) (a conflicting rumour says expect 2.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805)
•     Model D6653
•     1080 screen (QHD)
•     Android 4.4.4

Details of the specs for the full flagship are sparse but this is what’s rumoured so far given the ‘leaked’ image.

New Flagship Sony Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact

As always, rumours are rumours and not fact so there is no word from Sony Mobile. But the source of this has proven accurate in the past so we like to take a look at whatever they find. They do not give a list of the specifications or features of the devices. We’ll add to this post as more info comes out.

To the right you’ll see a zoomed in look at the rumoured flagship on its own. What are your first impressions? Take a look at the position of the sensors and earpiece, also below the screen…and it’s white…it has to be said, it looks more iPhoneish than ever before. Though a giant one perhaps because Apple has always maintained smaller screen sizes, whereas Sony (and other brands) flagships are anything but tiny. As mentioned earlier, check out the thinner bezels. Will that mean a very slightly more compact form?

We can tell a few things about the Z3 before any more rumours even come in. The Z2 might be considered as the Z1 perfected. There were a few minor complaints (always involving the screen quality) with the Z1 and the Z2 seemed to fix that. So if Sony is using a flagship-release cycle of new features / improve, (like Apple’s 5, 5s etc.) then the Z3 is going for something different. It will have to be more than a slightly faster CPU and a fraction more RAM. 128GB internal storage? Fingerprint scanning perhaps?

The Z3 won’t be light to hold either. Samsung flagships come in lighter, yet they suffer criticism for ‘cheap plastic’ materials. Sony flagships come in heavier but you could bang them off walls and not worry about it.

We should be able to get some clues about the dimensions and basic specs of the new flagship based on the previous flagships while we wait for more leaks on that part.

Sony Flagships 2012-2014

Xperia Z (Feb 2012)

• 139 x 71 x 7.9 mm (5.47 x 2.80 x 0.31 in)
• 5″ screen
• 16 GB, 2 GB RAM
• Quad-core 1.5 GHz CPU

 

Xperia Z1 (Sept 2013) 

• 144 x 74 x 8.5 mm (5.67 x 2.91 x 0.33 in)
• 5″ screen
• 16 GB, 2 GB RAM
• Quad-core 2.2 GHz CPU

 

Xperia Z2 (Apr 2014) 

• 146.8 x 73.3 x 8.2 mm (5.78 x 2.89 x 0.32 in)
• 5.2″ screen
• 16 GB, 3 GB RAM
• Quad-core 2.3 GHz CPU

 

Xperia Z3 (Aug/Sept 2014?)

•   2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 Qualcomm MSM8974 PRO-AC CPU (quad-core) (a conflicting rumour says expect 2.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805)
•     Model D6653
•     1080 screen (QHD)
•     Android 4.4.4

It’s going to be in close to 146.8 x 73.3 x 8.2 mm as the Z2 above. It could be just a fraction larger if Sony increases the screen size. If they bump it up to 5.4″ then we could see a 150.8 x 73 x 8.2 mm size. Though rival flagships are sticking to the 5.0-5.2″ screen size and all companies will want to differentiate flagship smartphone from phablet so 146.8 mm or similar will likely be the result.

Also, Google has been trying to bring down the basic requirements for the OS to run. KitKat was the champion of this, making devices made for the past few years technically able to run the OS. The recently announced Android L (Lemon, Lollypop?) is surely going to maintain the progress made. This means that Sony and others smartphone companies are unlikely to dramatically bump up the CPU or RAM of their devices – unless stellar new features demand it. So the innovation is going to come in elsewhere; powerful stereo support, impressive new cameras and new features.

Will it have these features that rival flagships are offering?

• USB 3.0 like the Samsung Galaxy S5?
• Fingerprint scanner like the SGS5 and iPhone 5s?

Prepare for a long and fun road to the next official flagship reveal by Sony. We’ll update with new leaks of images, specs and more as they come in. Check back soon!

Discuss:

What do you think of the design of the rumoured Z3 and Z3 Compact? What features do you really want them to have?