A new smartphone is reportedly set to join Sony's Xperia Z line. Rumors are circulating that the Japanese tech firm is coming out with the Sony Xperia Z4 this year.
According to Christian Post, the fourth edition of Sony's Xperia Z series has been granted the "stamp of approval" by the Japanese certification agency and would be available in the country's top three mobile carriers namely, KDDI, NTT DoCoMo and SoftBank.
Fans of Sony smartphones have been waiting for the successor of the Z3 ever since the company failed to launch a new smartphone unit in the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, photos of what the Z4 could look like have been going around as early as December 2014.
A report by Techradar said that images of the upcoming phone from Sony have been leaked. The photos were included in the hacked emails of Sony CEO Michael Lynton pertaining to the next James Bond film. Those who saw the email trail believe it was the new Z4 as a caption described it as "Xperia Z fourth generation."
According to the email of Executive Vice President of Consumer Marketing George Leon to Lynton, the Z4 is set to hit the market this year. "Sony Mobile has now provided us with the needed visuals of the new Z4 phones. These phones are the planned phones for May/November of 2015," the email read.
However, GSM Arena reported that the Z4 would be launched in the World Mobile Congress happening in March instead.
In terms of features and specifications, it would seem that the upcoming smartphone would retain the 5.2-inch 1080p display of its predecessors, said Android Authority. Other rumors have pegged a bigger display of 5.5 inches with QHD features.
Talks of the new phone's processor have also had the critics divided. Some are saying that it would be outfitted with a Snapdragon 805 while others claim a more powerful 64-bit Snapdragon 810.
One thing remains consistent though, and that is the size of the RAM, which is said to be 3GB.
Handytech Plus meanwhile, mentions a new voice call technology called VoLTE to be included in the Z4's specs. The phone's rear camera may also be upgraded with a new IMX230 sensor that could offer 27MP.
Another possible upgrade to the Z4 is a dual-sim feature. GSM Arena reported of a leaked document from the Federal Communications Commission showing a label of PM-0851-BV being granted to a Sony product. According to the website, PM-0851-BV is the label granted for dual-sim hadware.
Sony has not made any statements regarding the rumors of the upcoming Xperia Z4 and it remains to be seen if the Japanese tech firm would indeed, come out with the new phone in the upcoming Mobile World Congress.
