Sony to introduce a new flagship next week, could it be the global variant of the Xperia Z4?

Sony Mobile is preparing to hold press conferences in Taiwan and Hong Kong next week. According to the local media reports, the company would be unveiling a new flagship there. The press event in Taiwan is scheduled for May 27 while the one in Hong Kong will take place on May 28.

In Taiwan, Sony is expected to unveil the selfie-centric Xperia C4 and the Xperia Z4 Tablet. ePrice Taiwan says that at both the events, Sony will also be introducing a new flagship which it calls the Xperia Z3 Plus, a smartphone basically like the Xperia Z4 that the company released in Japan last month. This Z3 Plus (or Z3+) is probably the flagship variant of Xperia Z4 meant for the rest of the world. At the time of its release in Japan, there were rumors that the rest of the world would get the flagship in May, which seem to be coming true.

Sony has also sent out invitations in Hong Kong for a press conference to be held on May 28 to release “The new Xperia flagship product” which has “Top shot, screen, sound, water and design all in one.” The device will also apparently have a new color. Reports also say that four product development engineers from Japan will be sent to the Hong Kong press conference to give info about the new models.

Sony India is also holding a press conference in India a day earlier i.e. on May 26 where it is likely to launch the mid-ranger Xperia M4 Aqua. It is not known whether the Japanese smartphone maker will launch the new flagship Xperia Z3+/Z4 there.

We will keep you informed about it as soon as we know more.

Sony to introduce a new flagship next week, could it be the global variant of the Xperia Z4?

Sony allegedly developing a 6-inch Xperia handset, aims to ship 38 million devices in FY 2015

Sony is a big name in the consumer electronics industry and while the Japanese multinational has been quite successful in the TV and gaming business, its mobile phones business hasn’t been doing too well. However, its Xperia Z3 smartphone line up has been well received and Sony seems to be determined to turn around its mobile business by introducing newer models.

A recent report by DigiTimes suggests that Sony Mobile may be coming out with a new 6-inch Xperia smartphone soon. Sony’s ODMs (Original Design Manufacturers) in Taiwan have reportedly begun manufacturing a new 6-inch device for the company. It is not clear whether this will be a mid-range handset like the 6-inch Xperia T2 Ultra or a successor to the premium 6.4-inch Xperia Z Ultra which the company had launched in 2013.

DigiTimes also reports that Sony is targeting total shipment of 38 million smartphones during the fiscal year April 2015-March 2016. This figure is a little lower compared to total shipments of 39.2 million smartphones in the previous fiscal ended March 2015.These aren’t official figures given by the Sony but they have been disclosed by sources in Taiwan’s handset supply chain.

Sources say that the lower shipment target is on account of company revamping its mobile device business and shifting focus from low-end to mid-range devices to mid-range and premium models.

Although no new orders have been received from Sony since Q4 of 2014, Taiwan’s ODMs have already started manufacturing and shipping some new smartphone models including Xperia E4 by Arima Communications, Xperia E4g by Compal Electronics and Xperia M4 Aqua by Foxconn/FIH Mobile.

Sony has already unveiled four new devices in 2015 namely, Xperia E4, Xperia E4g, Xperia M4 Aqua and Xperia Z4 Tablet. However, the much awaited flagship model Sony Xperia Z4 is yet to be unveiled by the company. The handset is expected to be launched by Sony in summer before September this year. We can’t say if the rumored 6-inch smartphone will be launched alongside Xperia Z4 or separately.

Stay tuned for further news.

Sony allegedly developing a 6-inch Xperia handset, aims to ship 38 million devices in FY 2015

Xperia Z4 release pushed back? Sony not to hold any press event at MWC 2015

Everyone’s eyes are on the Mobile World Congress 2015 scheduled to be held in Barcelona, Spain where smartphone companies are expected to release their new flagships. Notable among them are Sony Xperia Z4, Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, and HTC One M9 (Hima).

Surprisingly, there have been very few leaks and rumors than usual about Sony’s upcoming flagship compared to the other two companies, casting a doubt in our minds whether the Japanese tech giant is really ready to release the Xperia Z4.

Now Xperia Blog has received information from sources that Sony Mobile is not planning to hold any official press event at the MWC this year as it is was doing every year up until now. Instead, it will just have a booth at the event that is to be held from 2nd to 5th March. There will be a welcome greeting from the Company’s side at the booth opening on 2nd March for the media that will be present at the time.

However, this is quite surprising because Sony is in the habit of releasing a new flagship every six months claiming that due to the fast changing technology, it will be able to continuously offer the latest and the best features to its customers. But Sony seems to have realized that its strategy of releasing a new flagship every six months is causing problems in distribution and is negatively affecting its sales.

So maybe this is the reason Sony has pushed back the release of its new flagship, the Xperia Z4. Well, we will know soon enough at the MWC which is not far away now.

 

Source Xperia Blog

Via Phone Arena

Xperia Z4 release pushed back? Sony not to hold any press event at MWC 2015

Sony may launch a new 12-inch Tablet in Q1 of 2015

Sony Mobile is rumored to be working on a large 12-inch tablet, which it is planning to launch in the first quarter (Jan-March) of 2015. This hint has come from supply chain makers in Taiwan. According to sources, this will be a high-end tablet with a stylus and will be primarily meant for graphics. This means that the tablet will cater to a niche market.

Unfortunately, no other details about the tablet are known as yet but since it will be high-end, it will have a high resolution screen and a great processor. If it is made a part of the Xperia family, it will have a thin water proof body.

Apparently several other mobile manufacturers are also planning to come out with big size tablets next year. Although the demand for larger sized tablets is expected to be moderate, the vendors are keen to enter this market segment.

Sony had recently unveiled the small sized Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact at the IFA. Currently, Sony’s largest Tablet is the Xperia Z2 Tablet having a 10.1-inch touch screen. Other large-sized tablets available in the market are Samsung Galaxy Note Pro with a 12.2-inch display and Microsoft Surface Pro 3 having a display of 12 inches. Apple is reportedly working on a new huge 12.9-inch tablet that will be powered by A8X chipset.

Sony is expected to unveil its new 12-inch tablet at either the CES or the MWC in 2015 possibly along with its next flagship, the Xperia Z4.

Source DigiTimes

Sony may launch a new 12-inch Tablet in Q1 of 2015

Sony Xperia Z3v to hit US through Verizon Wireless on October 23

Sony Mobile has announced its latest flagship the Xperia Z3v for Verizon Wireless in the US. The handset will be priced at $199.99 available with a contract and will hit the shelves of Verizon on October 23. Xperia Z3v is a high-end sleek waterproof Android 4G LTE smartphone similar to Xperia Z3 but made by Sony exclusively for Verizon.

Sony Xperia Z3v looks like the Xperia Z2, but its features match those of the Xperia Z3. Only addition is the Qi wireless charging provided for the Verizon model. The device has aluminum sides and tempered glass front and back panels. It features a 5.2- inch FHD Triluminos 1080 x 1920 resolution display with Live Color LED powered by X-Reality for mobile. Under the hood, it has a Qualcomm quad-core 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage expandable up to 128GB via a microSD slot.

Xperia Z3v has Sony’s 20.7MP primary rear camera with 1/2.3” Exmor RS and 4K video recording, and a 2.2MP 1080p front-facing camera. You can use both rear and front cameras at the same time to take pictures or shoot videos. You can also upload a live video of up to 15 minutes on YouTube.

The device has stereo speakers with S-Force front surround, Hi-Res Audio and Digital Sound Enhancement Engine. It has a 3200mAh battery with STAMINA and Ultra STAMINA modes that lasts for more than a day. It supports PlayStation 4 gaming by connecting to PS4 Remote Play. It is water proof and dust proof having the highest IP68 certification. This means that the device can survive for up to 30 minutes in 1.5m of fresh water when all the ports are properly closed. The device runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat.

Verizon will also be the first US carrier for Sony’s Android Wear Smartwatch 3 which will be priced at $249.99. Various accessories that will be available at Verizon include CPW5 Wireless Portable Charger based on Qi technology available for $59.99, DUALSHOCK 4 Wireless Controller for $59.99 and GCM10 Game Control Mount for $39.99.

Check out the promo video of the Xperia Z3v:

Sony Xperia Z3v to hit US through Verizon Wireless on October 23

Sony announces Xperia M2 Aqua, the highest rated waterproof smartphone

Sony‘s Xperia line up is famous for its dust and water resistant properties. Sony has announced yet another waterproof and dust resistant handset – the Xperia M2 Aqua that has the highest rating for water resistance, the IP65/IP68 certification. In fact, it is the highest rating seen on any smartphone till date.

IP68 certification means the Xperia M2 Aqua smartphone is completely dust proof and is not affected even if it is submerged in water at a depth of more than 1m and that too indefinitely. The phone can even survive up to 3m depth. Surprisingly, a Sony Xperia Z2 with IP58 certification recently survived for over a month in the salty water of the ocean at 10m below the surface. Sony obviously has a great water resistance technology.

Calum MacDougall, Director of Xperia Marketing at Sony Mobile says,”Xperia M2 Aqua is a significant milestone in our product portfolio as we bring yet another of our signature technologies to a new category of smartphones”.

Specs-wise, the Xperia M2 Aqua is a mid-range smartphone similar to the original Xperia M2. It features a 4.8-inch qHD IPS display and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset with a 1.2GHz quad-core Cortex A7 processor and Adreno 305 GPU for graphics support. Memory options include 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage with a microSD card slot for expanding the internal memory and a 2,300mAh battery.

In the camera department, the Xperia M2 Aqua has an 8MP (1080p) rear camera with Exmor RS sensor capable of recording full HD videos, SteadyShot and HDR. The device allows for live streaming to Facebook. There is a 1.1MP front-facing camera for taking selfies. Connectivity options include 3G, 4G LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth and a microUSB port. The device runs on the latest Android 4.4 KitKat.

At present, the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua would be available in single-SIM version only. The original Xperia M2 costs around $240 and the M2 Aqua is expected to cost a little more than that. The device will be available in White and Black color options this Autumn in Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America.

Watch the 2 official promos of the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua:

Sony announces Xperia M2 Aqua, the highest rated waterproof smartphone