Sony Xperia Z4 rumor round-up: price, specs, release date and features

Interface

Sony's Xperia Z4 lineup will run on Android 5.0 Lollipop topped off with the fit Xperia UI. Sony's vision for it is about delivering entertainment and productivity in a simple package, so it's safe to say the feature bloat will be spared. Instead, there will be many smaller nuggets of useful functionality - such as Double tap to wake; an options panel, which can be revealed at any time by doing a swipe gesture from the left edge of the screen; Sony's Small Apps multitasking suite, which pins windowed calculator, browser, notes and other apps on top of anything else; built-in screen recording functionality, and more goodies. In addition, the pleasant and understated design is consistent and melds with the user experience of recent Sony smart devices you may have in your household - such as the PS VITA, the PS4, or a TV set. Did we mention you can already play PS4 games on your Vita or Xperia smartphone? Playing GTA V from miles away is so good!

Camera

With its Xperia smartphones, Sony is in the awkward position of peddling the industry's best-selling Exmor RS camera sensor to its direct competitors, while inexplicably failing to make it stand out in its own products. Don't get us wrong, Sony smartphones take decent photos, but you won't see the Xperia Z3 in our selection of 2014's best cameraphones - even though it should have qualified for it with its potent 20.7-megapixel CMOS sensor and extensive camera app. The Xperia Z4 lineup is Sony's next chance to redeem itself, and for that, the company has prepared a new camera sensor.

The Exmor RS IMX230 is a 1/2.4", 21MP sensor that advances mobile photography with image plane phase detection autofocus and 192 AF points. These additions should enable blur-free tracking and snapping of fast moving objects, along with real-time HDR images. Sony plans to make a 16MP version too, but whether we'll have any of the two inside the Xperia Z4 is up in the air, as the IMX230 will be put in mass production as late as April 2015. So don't be surprised if the Xperia Z4 shows up rocking its predecessor's 20.7 MP 1/2.3” Exmor RS sensor with 1.12 micron pixels - which is fine by us! As for the front camera, a 5MP unit is expected to handle your mesmerizing selfie shots.

Here's an alleged Sony Xperia Z4 camera sample. The photo has a 5,248 x 3,936 pixel resolution, which means the rear camera of the Z4 should be a 20.7 MP one, just like the cameras of the Z3, Z2, and Z1.

Storage and connectivity

We don't expect Sony to pull any surprises or surprise punches here. We can count on either 32GB, 64GB, and why not 128GB of built-in storage in the Xperia Z4's different variations. LTE, fast Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, and popular standards for connecting phone and Smart TV/display (DLNA, Miracast) together are a given as well.

Battery capacity

If the Sony Xperia Z4 ends up anywhere around the Xperia Z3's size, it would be logical to assume it has roughly the same battery. The rumored 3400mAh unit will have enough juice to power even the purported QHD display-Snapdragon 810 variant. Given that the specs-frenzied Samsung Galaxy Note 4 achieved an excellent result with only a 3220mAh unit to make do with, we're very optimistic about the eventual outcome! For another perspective, check out the test results above to get an idea of how the Xperia Z3 and Galaxy Note 4 perform in the important regard of battery life. We're basing our expectations on these performance charts. Additionally, Sony could add Qi wireless charging support.

Release date, price, and carriers

As mentioned above, we expect Sony to unveil the Sony Xperia Z4 by the end of April at the earliest, with a launch to follow soon after. However, the announcement could stretch all the way to July, August, or September of this year. With HTC, Samsung and LG launching their Android flagships in April, Sony probably feels like waiting for the dust around them to settle, rather than enter the war outright.

Pricing and carrier availability in the USA, are as obscure as the Xperia Z4's release date right now. If you don't plan on buying unlocked, maybe you could look for the Xperia Z4 at Verizon and T-Mobile - the only US carriers that sold the Xperia Z3 on a contract. And the price? Well, Sony's high-end smartphones don't come cheap! We expect Sony will charge anywhere between $600-$800 for the Xperia Z4 unlocked.

Conclusion

At Sony, innovation is subtle, but unquestionably there - each successive Xperia flagship looks better, has a nicer display, and runs faster while maintaining excellent battery life. At Samsung, innovation is in your face - curved OLED displays and boatloads of functionality to get lost in. This just goes to show how different manufacturers are in an industry that's been criticised for repeating design paradigms and lacking in diversity.