Update: One of the photos CNMO leaked hinting at the alleged Sony Xperia 3 appears to originally come from a review article on Sony Xperia 1, published by the AndroidPIT website. That said, it’s unclear whether other pictures belong to the rumored device that is expected to be featured on next year’s MWC event in February.
Sony’s phone manufacturing business seems to be plummeting as opposed to other products it offers and works on. The Japanese company seems to have difficulties keeping up with the demanding markets of Samsung, Apple, Google and others with its flagship phones getting less and less noticed by consumers. However, despite that, Sony still doesn’t want to let go of its smartphone strategy, as reported by CNMO and GizmoChina. New photos of the alleged Sony Xperia 3 have been leaked online, revealing some of the notable features this smartphone could boast.
Sony has a strange timeline of revealing its smartphones. One of the first flagships that was featured this year was Xperia 1 which the company teased in February, as well as Xperia 5, a little less of a flagship compared to the others back in September. Now, the new images that were leaked online hint at the existence of a device supposed to be Sony Xperia 3.
As the site CNMO spotted, the phone was seen in the pictures with the Xperia 3 branding, as well as the hint of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset. Supposedly, this chipset is still to be revealed by the processor-making company, although it’s expected to be the new generation expected to launch in December. More importantly, this chipset generation is expected to appear on many upcoming smartphones, and maybe even Galaxy S11 and OnePlus 8 that’ll launch next year.
The leak suggests that Sony will release two versions of the same phone. One phone will follow the new cellular technology trends and debut with 5G support, while the other phone will ship with standard 4G technology. That said, the 5G-boasting phone will likely be more costly than the one without.
Other than that, the photos featured on the site don’t show much change in design compared to its predecessor Xperia 1. The phone shows a small camera space, with circular housing, although it’s hard to tell given that the phone was pictured from its side. The potential Sony Xperia 3 will also come out with a fingerprint sensor at an unconventional place, the side of the phone. Given it’s visible from the same shot, it’s hard to say what it really is. Additionally, given that these images are just leaks, it’s best to be reserved until Sony confirms the potential launch of its phone.
It’s also still not confirmed what the phone’s real name could be, despite the alleged Xperia 3 branding in the photos. After all, the company has a strange naming policy. Its high-end flagship Xperia 1 is called that because that’s the best phone that the company currently offers, while the Xperia 5 is a tad less superior to its predecessor. Finally, the two phones are followed by Xperia 10, which is considered the mid-range phone.
That said, with Sony’s strange naming policy, that should mean that Sony Xperia 3 would sit between Xperia 1 and 5 when it comes to the high-end performance. If the phone is scheduled to launch, Sony will likely reveal more features at the MWC 2020 event that will take place next February. However, given that this is the first leak of the alleged phone, it’s just a matter of time before more rumors surface as the potential reveal approaches.
