Sony Announces the Xperia Z4
by Brandon Chester on April 20, 2015 4:38 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Sony
- Mobile
- Xperia Z4
Today Sony Mobile officially announced the Xperia Z4 on their Japanese website. The Xperia Z4 will be the company's flagship smartphone for 2015, sitting alongside Sony's flagship tablet which is called the Xperia Z4 Tablet. Based on the specifications provided by Sony, it certainly looks like they've done everything possible to make it fit that role with regards to its hardware. Thankfully, Sony's launch page gives pretty much every specification one could be interested in, and I've organized them in the chart below.
| Sony Xperia Z4 | ||||||
| SoC | MSM8994 2/1.5 GHz A57/A53 Snapdragon 810 | |||||
| Memory and Storage | 32GB NAND + MicroSDXC, 3GB RAM | |||||
| Display | 5.2" 1920x1080 IPS LCD | |||||
| Cellular Connectivity | 2G / 3G / 4G LTE (Qualcomm UE Category 7/9 LTE) | |||||
| Dimensions | 146 x 72 x 6.9 mm, 144g | |||||
| Camera |
20.7 MP Sony Exmor, 1/2.3" Rear Facing, 25mm focal length |
|||||
| Battery | 2930 mAh | |||||
| Other Connectivity | 2x2 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.1, microUSB2.0, NFC, GPS/GNSS | |||||
| SIM Size | NanoSIM | |||||
| Operating System | Android 5.0 Lollipop | |||||
The specifications for the Z4 are certainly appealing. Potential speed and thermal issues relating to Snapdragon 810 aside, the Z4 packs what is basically the best internal hardware available for smartphone manufacturers at the moment. Snapdragon 820 won't be available until the second half of this year at the absolute earliest, and so MSM8994 paired with 3GB of RAM is the fastest you'll see in an Android smartphone that isn't the Galaxy S6.
What may be notable for some is the decision to stay with a 1920x1080 LCD. Given the issues with power consumption and brightness with current 2560x1440 LCD panels, and the relatively limited improvement to sharpness at this display size, I think that staying with a 1080p display was the right decision to make with the Z4.
The Xperia Z4 comes in White, Black, Copper, and Aqua Green
Design wise, the Xperia Z4 bears a great deal of similarity to its predecessor, the Xperia Z3. While it's not a full metal unibody design, it does have a metal frame surrounding the outside of the device. At 6.9mm it is as thin as the iPhone 6 which is impressive. Sony has also been able to include one of their 20.7MP sensors without introducing a camera hump, although the compromise is its 25mm focal length. Like most of Sony's recent products, the Xperia Z4 has an IP65 / IP68 rating for dust and water protection, which is something that now differentiates it from the flagship devices offered by other manufacturers.
At the moment, Sony hasn't provided any information about when an international release of the Xperia Z4 can be expected. It follows that the price is also unknown, although one can guess that it will be around the same price as this year's other flagship devices.
Source: Sony Mobile Japan
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Zoomer - Friday, April 24, 2015 - link
Second the review requests. I'm actually more interested in the Z3 - but you should do so to have a base to compare from.Rustico - Monday, April 20, 2015 - link
Can you guys review the Z4 once it's released, please? I feel like Sony devices have been left out in the past.BMNify - Monday, April 20, 2015 - link
Sony didn't send them review samples in the past, so Anandtech have not reviewed Sony phones but hopefully the new/young staff will contact Sony and ask for review samples.erple2 - Tuesday, April 21, 2015 - link
Sony verybrarely releases any of their products to reviewers. Anandtech has reviewed a grand total of about one laptop from Sony, also, because of this. The staff at anandtech has always asked for models from Sony, but they never seem to send any.When looking to buy a new phone for a relative, I had a choice between a Samsung Alpha and a Z3c. Due to the general lack of coverage of Sony products, and a rumor that Sony was planning on exiting the smartphone business, I had to go with the Alpha.
Zoomer - Friday, April 24, 2015 - link
So the additional hits and ad revenue wouldn't cover the marginal cost of going out and spending $600 for the device?I seem to recall Anand going out and BUYING random processor samples from various outlets to compare their overclockability.
zodiacfml - Monday, April 20, 2015 - link
Nice specs......if without the S6 though some people would swear with the external memory and waterproofing.It is without a camera hump because it doesn't have OIS and a very wide aperture.
syxbit - Monday, April 20, 2015 - link
It's really sad that there's so little competition in the SoC space.I miss TI's OMAP.
Intel still isn't competing too much. Tegras run too hot, and Samsung doesn't sell much outside Samsung
When Qualcomm is on its game, (like with the Snapdragon 800), domination makes sense. But the Snapdragon 810 is a terrible chip, and yet, bar Samsung, it's still everywhere :(
P1l0t3 - Monday, April 20, 2015 - link
Coming from iPhone 5s, I was waiting for this news as soon as I heard of a Z4 being on track.I love the design and functionality over iPhone 6. However, as there is no word on a Z4 Compact, I may have to go with the Z3C. Any info on that ?
BMNify - Monday, April 20, 2015 - link
Z4 compact was not released today but we can expect an announcement soon, you should definitely wait if you can, if not then Z3 compact is still a good phone going at good price in most countries.phoenix_rizzen - Monday, April 20, 2015 - link
While 2 releases doesn't make a reliable pattern, the Compact releases are every other generation. As in, there's an Xperia Z1 Compact and an Xperia Z3 Compact. Which means, there won't be a Z4 Compact, but there should be a Z5 Compact.The Z series releases annually. The Z Compact series releases bi-annually.