You know how the Xperia X Performance was part of Sony’s completely-built-from-the-ground-up line of 2016 phones that was to be the company’s flagship model for 2016? Welp, there might be another flagship smartphone coming from Sony in late 2016.

 The Sony F8331 (F833X) model number has been revealed on the GFXBench benchmarking site, sporting a higher model designation than that of the Xperia X Performance (F813X). In addition, the Sony Xperia F8331 and F8332 model numbers have also been revealed through UAProf links. 

From the benchmarks, what we know about the new phone includes:

• Snapdragon 820 (MSM8996) chipset
• 1080 x 1920 resolution
• 3GB RAM
• 32GB internal storage
• 22-megapixel rear-facing camera
• 4K video
• 13-megapixel front-facing camera

So cheers to all those who bought the Xperia X Performance thinking you’d have the best from Sony because it might only be true for another few months. It’s expected that Sony will reveal the new phone at IFA in early September.

Wonder no more why Sony might be ‘defocusing’ on China, India, USA, and Brazil in the year to come because clearly they have no real strategy for how to grow their mobile division. From a business perspective, I think Kaz Hirai and company have done a fantastic job at stopping the bleeding from their mobile division and ensuring that it’s not hurting the company but it’s fairly obvious that beyond that, there is no vision for what to do from there.

For a company who has trouble getting any form of sales/growth traction, releasing multiple flagship models in one year is not only expensive (R&D, retooling factories, etc.) but also sends a message to its most staunch supporters that they’re never safe for too long in thinking that they own the best. Imagine if Apple didn’t stick to its ever predictable schedule of fall iPhone releases but instead as it stands, if you buy a new phone from them in the fall, you know that you have the best they offer for the year to come.

Discuss:

Does another and potentially superior flagship smartphone from Sony later this year excite or upset you?

[Via XperiaBlog]