For a long time now there have been reports about the completely new form factor of Sony’s upcoming flagship. Now, thanks to an image uploaded onto Slashleaks (via Techiestate) of the Xperia XZ2, we now know the Japanese company’s new all-screen design.
Xperia XZ2 – what to expect
From the images, it looks like the bezel is certainly thin at the bottom and side, but Sony has broadened the top a little to house the earpiece, selfie camera and other things placed in front of the smartphone. The design leak also shows the shutter button on the side.
The Sony Xperia XZ2 would reportedly be powered by Snapdragon 845 chipsets, like the other high-end devices. However, Sony might have to select a slot after the Galaxy S9 release, since Samsung usually books an entire supply of the first few batches of the chipset for its smartphone.
Based on the leak, however, the screen does not look promising with 1920 x 1080 full HD encased in a larger 5.48 panel, notes SlashGear. Sony was expected to go for a bezel-less and 18:9, like Samsung and Apple. Nevertheless, we would surely see reduced bezels this time from Sony. Further, the Xperia XZ2 is expected to have two 12 MP cameras with an upgraded selfie snapper.
A separate report last week, suggested that Sony would fit a 15-megapixel selfie camera with a f/2.0 aperture and Sony’s own Exmor RS sensor in the alleged Sony smartphone code-named H8216. It is not known if this handset is Xperia XZ2 or XZ1. On the rear, the phone would most likely have two 12-megapixel shooters. Sony has offered incredible results with the Xperia XZ Premium and XZ1 single lens cameras at the time when smartphone makers are focusing on dual lens cameras. So, it will be interesting to see what the upgraded camera setup will offer to the customers.
Other specifications doing the rounds are the 3,130 mAH battery, the weight being 156 grams, IP65/68 waterproofing certification and overall dimension of 148 x 73.4 x 7.4mm.
Is Sony even considering this?
Separately, last month, a report from mobile benchmark Geekbench suggested a Sony Xperia ZG Compact smartphone in the lower mid-range segment. The Xperia ZG Compact was listed to come with 2GB RAM and Octa-core Snapdragon 810, an older version from Qualcomm launched somewhere in 2014 and used in the HTC M9, LG G Flex 2, Moto X Force, and even Sony’s own Xperia Z5 lineup.
Further, the Xperia ZG Compact was also tested to run on Android 7.1.1 Nougat, which again is not a new feature and something that Sony has already dropped in favor of the recent Android 8.0 Oreo out-of-the-box, notes Android Headlines. Based on the specifications, it would not be wrong to say that the phone does not go with Sony’s image, which has no reason to pack a phone with old components.
Sony’s mobile division has been sluggish in recent times with dropping sales. Whether the upcoming phones will be a game changer for Sony is yet to be seen, but the latest Xperia XZ2 leak does promise some interesting renders. The handset is expected to debut at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next year.
