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Xperia Z5 News: Rumors point to a Xperia Z5 Premium with a mega 4K display

Andy Boxall
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sony xperia z5 news version 1439523833 z3 plus group
We’ve seen the Xperia Z3+, the Xperia Z4, and the Xperia Z4V launch in 2015, but now rumors are gathering the Xperia Z5 may also come along before the year is over. It may even be joined by an Xperia Z5 Compact, and an Xperia Z5 Plus/Ultra/Premium. Is it possible? Here is everything we think we know about the rumored phone so far.

Updated on 08-27-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added in news from an unofficial Sony Facebook account, that may have revealed the specs of all three Z5 phones.

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Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact, and amazing Xperia Z5 Premium coming to IFA?

The almost certainly unofficial Sony Georgia Facebook account has leaked the specifications of three new Xperia Z5 phones, in a post made on the social network. It states that on September 2, at a press conference ahead of the IFA tech show in Berlin, Sony will announce the Xperia Z5, the Xperia Z5 Compact, and the Xperia Z5 Premium.

Specs for all three were also mentioned. The Z5 will apparently have a 5.2-inch 1080p screen, while the Z5 Compact will have a 4.6-inch 720p display; but the really exciting phone is the Z5 Premium — which may have the first 4K screen on a smartphone. The post says the 5.5-inch phone will have an 800ppi pixel density from the 2160p screen, which is an incredible 3840 x 2160 resolution.

Before getting your hopes up too high, it’s worth remembering we haven’t seen any evidence such a small size, high-res screen even exists. The rumor has spread before that the Z5 Premium/Ultra/Plus will have such a display, and the Facebook post may solely be reiterating those rumors.

Xperia Z5 Compact picture and specs leak

This may be our first good look at one of the the next major Xperia smartphones from Sony. The picture, published by TechTastic, is said to show the Xperia Z5 Compact, the smallest of the new Z5 family. It’s a promotional style image, showing a not-very-small smartphone alongside a bright clutch bag. The white phone has Sony and Xperia branding, the very familiar Omnibalance design, and a flash unit off to the side of the camera lens.

Xperia Z5 Compact Promo Leak

TechTastic also provides information suggesting it has used the phone. It claims it looks like the device leaked by @ViziLeaks recently — which you can see below — and that the side-mounted buttons have been moved to closer to the bottom of the phone. Check them out in the promo image. Also, the flat power button seen in the ViziLeaks picture operates as a fingerprint scanner.

Designs in keeping with the Xperia lineup

1 of 3

A series of photos from @ViziLeaks reportedly show the Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact in all their metal and glass glory. They seem to exhibit many of the Xperia series’ familiar design cues of harsh curves, blockish edges, and a nondescript front panel. However, the pictures reveal at least one notable change: The power button on the Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact in the photos is an elongated, flush oval rather than the circular toggle found on older models, and the display hints a fingerprint scanner is onboard.

Xperia Z5+ may join the family

Sony’s new Z5 family may also include a big-screen version, if rumors are accurate. That’s the impression given by a leaked slide, supposedly from a Sony presentation, which shows a phone codename the S70+, believed to end up with the official name of Xperia Z5+. Earlier rumors pointed to the existence of an Xperia Z5 Ultra, and more recently, the phone has been referred to as the Z5 Premium.

Sony Xperia Z5 Plus Leak Slide

The slide was leaked over the Chinese social network Weibo, and its authenticity can’t be verified for now, but given the current trend for “Plus” phones, it doesn’t sound implausible. The picture is low-resolution, but we can make out a phone that isn’t all that visually different from other Sony Xperia devices. That’s nothing new either — Sony has stuck to its Omnibalance design language for a while — but that also makes such an image easy to fake.

A previous leak suggested Sony’s testing three new phones, after three model numbers were spotted on website logs. This is a well-established way of discovering hints of new hardware, but is also unreliable and again, can be faked. Interestingly, this was also the source of the first rumors regarding a massive 2160 x 3840 pixel screen resolution.

Xperia Z5 range spec rumors

In an unofficial Facebook post from Sony Georgia, it’s stated the Xperia Z5 will have a 1080p 5.2-inch screen, the Xperia Z5 Compact a 720p 4.6-inch screen, and the Xperia Z5 Premium a massive 2160p 5.5-inch display. All three are supposed to have a fingerprint scanner, and share the same 23-megapixel camera, complete with an f/1.8 aperture.

Previously, the Xperia Z5 was linked with the Snapdragon 820 processor, along with 4GB of RAM, but Qualcomm isn’t expected to have the new chip ready until 2016. Other possible features include 4K video recording, and a large 4500mAh battery. A rumor published back in April stated the Xperia Z5 would use the reversible USB Type-C connector.

A release by the end of the year?

An unsubstantiated rumor report, published in early July, stated Sony will launch the Xperia Z5 in September, along with the Z5 Compact and a Z5 Ultra — which could end up being the Xperia Z5 Plus or Premium. This line-up was also discussed in an April rumor report.

Sony tweeted out a smartphone teaser image at the end of August, saying it has new hardware coming at the IFA technology show in Berlin, on September 2. It didn’t explicitly mention the Xperia Z5. While it’s possible Sony is working on the Xperia Z5, to release it in September would give the Xperia Z3+/Xperia Z4 very little time on sale before being superseded. In the past, Sony followed a six-monthly, minor refresh pattern for its top range smartphones, but it was rumored to have ended this practice.

It’s also possible Sony may only launch the Xperia Z5 in Japan, which follows its strategy with the Xperia Z4. If so, we should expect renamed variants for the international market sometime afterwards. However, none of this is official yet, and it should all be treated as speculation.

Previous updates:

Updated on 08-14-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added in reports of an Xperia Z5 Plus joining the Z5 and Z5 Compact. 

Updated on 08-06-2015 by Kyle Wiggers: Added reported photos of the Xperia Z5 and Xperia Z5 Compact.

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