The Sony Xperia Z6 is still a long way from launch, but already rumours of Sony’s next flagship phone are circulating. Here’s what we’ve heard about the Xperia Z6’s screen, camera, specs and other features so far, and what we expect to see.
Here in the UK, Sony’s latest flagship phones – the Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact and Xperia Z5 Premium – have only just landed. Of course, that hasn’t stopped the usual flood of leaks and rumours for Sony’s next big phone, the Xperia Z6, which likely won’t be hitting stores until late 2016.
Here’s what we know so far about the Xperia Z6 family.
Sony Xperia Z6 design
The Xperia Z5 came in three flavours (the dinky Compact, the standard Z5 and the super-sized Premium model), and we’re expecting the same from the Xperia Z6. An Xperia Z6 Compact is pretty much guaranteed as the Xperia Z3 Compact and Xperia Z5 Compact were hits with critics and consumers, providing a solid no-compromise smartphone experience in a pleasingly hand-friendly form.
And while the Xperia Z5 Premium had a few issues, Sony’s a big fan of big phones so we’d expect to see another media monster model in the Xperia Z6 family.
As for the look and feel of the Xperia Z6 phones, we doubt Sony will stray far from its chosen smartphone design.
Sony Xperia Z6 specs
We’ve heard rumours that Sony might take a stab at creating its own processor for the Xperia Z6, similar to Samsung’s Exynos chipset which was packed inside the Galaxy S6. However, we reckon Sony will stick with Qualcomm, using the new Snapdragon 820 chipset instead. With its vastly improved performance and efficiency, not to mention support for powerful camera tech, the Snapdragon 820 should be everything Sony needs for the Xperia Z6.
Sony Xperia Z6 camera and other features
We doubt that Sony will fiddle much with the Xperia Z5’s excellent 23-megapixel camera, using the same tech for the Xperia Z6. After all, the Xperia Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z3+ all sported the same 21-megapixel optics, albeit with fresh new software features between each model.
The Xperia Z6 will almost certainly sport the same fingerprint sensor as the Xperia Z5 too, which is already impressively accurate. But of course, there has to be some new features to tempt Xperia Z5 owners to upgrade, right?
Well, early rumours point to a Force Touch screen which can register how hard you poke it, just like Apple’s 3D Touch screen found on the iPhone 6S. We’re also likely to see Type-C USB and wireless charging, amongst other new features.
Sony Xperia Z6 UK price and release date
Some rumours point to a February 2016 launch for the Xperia Z6 (at the annual MWC expo in Barcelona), but we’d be very surprised if this was the case. Instead, Sony is likely to release a new tablet at MWC 2016, saving its new flagship phone for the second half of 2016 – something heavily hinted by at least one Sony insider so far.
Expect to see the Sony Xperia Z6 announced in September 2016 at the huge IFA expo in Berlin, hitting the UK in October with a price tag of around £549. A Compact model will likely come in at around £449 while a larger Xperia Z6 Premium model would cost from £649.
We’re constantly updating this article with the latest Xperia Z6 leaks and rumours.
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