I usually prefer to talk about successor products even before the current iteration is released (please read with sarcasm). So seeing how the Sony Xperia Z5 family (pictured above) has been out for a few months now seems like an especially great time to see what the future can hold for the flagship series. We’ve already seen, thanks to a leak from T-Mobile, that Sony is looking to reduce their lineup in 2016 but if current rumors hold true, Sony will actually be adding one new model in the mix – the Xperia Z6 Lite which will

 feature a 5-inch display and will fall between the Xperia Z6 Compact and the Xperia Z6 

Besides the new display size, the phone is believed to be made out of new material with a metal rear panel.

 The smartphone is also said to house the hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 SoC, formerly known as Snapdragon 618. The device is also expected to cost $385 (roughly Rs. 25,500) and hit the shelves in May next year. 

This is where things fall apart for me a little when price point and release talk starts to pop up way in advance of a product’s arrival. Guessing the next processor is a much easier safer affair in Android world where most devices share similar components. So are the rumors true? Hard to say, but there are more details after the jump.

 the Sony Xperia Z6 was tipped to arrive in five variants namely – the Xperia Z6 Mini with 4-inch display, Xperia Z6 Compact with 4.6-inch display, Xperia Z6 with 5.2-inch display, Xperia Z6 Plus with 5.8-inch display, and Xperia Z6 Ultra with 6.4-inch display. 

The idea of an Xperia Z6 Lite with a 5-inch display sounds good but I’m not sure why Sony would need to have a 5-inch phone and a 5.2-inch device in the same exact series. Samsung has proven that having too many screen sizes not only gets confusing for consumers, but harder to develop as your costs can’t as easily be spread across similar components.

If anything, I’d find the idea of a Xperia Z6 Lite with a 4-inch display perhaps a more appealing line to pursue as there are still parts of the population that don’t want a larger-sized phone. Apple is also rumored to be introducing an iPhone 6c next year which will see the return of a 4-inch display which hasn’t been part of the lineup since the iPhone 5s was phased out.

Discuss:

Does a 5-inch Sony Xperia Z6 Lite make sense to you?

[Via Gadgets 360]