As expected after months of speculation, which included the discontinuing of its Z3 flagship smartphone after only six months on sale in select territories, Sony Mobile has announced the Xperia Z4, which was first hinted at in the Sony Pictures leaked email scandal last year.
The Z4 features slight updates to the Z3, which include a thinner 6.9mm bodyshell with the same Omnibalance design, a 5.2-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor with 32GB of internal storage and 3GB RAM with microSDXC slot, 20.7 megapixel main camera with LED flash and Sony-specific enhancements, 5.0-megapixel front camera with identical lens aperture to the rear camera along with digital image stabilization, Bluetooth 4.1 with aptX and LDAC support for Hi-Res audio streaming over Bluetooth.
Unlike the typical Xperia flagship launch, which includes carrier announcements, or is immediately announced with Japanese carriers, Sony is only confirming a mid-Summer launch for the phone in Japan and has so far not confirmed the international launch cycle for the phone.
As the previous Z3 flagship was met with lukewarm reception globally and US carriers refused to carry the Z3 Compact while failing to market the Z3 properly, the change in launch strategy may mean that the Z4 will mark a new sales strategy for Sony Mobile, which has struggled for sales volume since being fully integrated into Sony proper. While Sony Mobile is also dismissing previously mentioned intentions to spinoff the mobile division, the newly installed president is now merely aiming for profitability, rather than sales milestones.
