Sony Xperia XZ4 preview: Everything we know so far
UPDATED: The leaked XA3 shows another glance at the "CinemaWide" screen
Sony replaced its strong Xperia XZ2 flagship with the even-better Xperia XZ3 after just six months on the market… and it might do the same thing again with the Xperia XZ4.
Leaks and rumours are starting to swirl around Sony’s next main handset, which we could see early in the year. Nothing’s official at this point and it’s early still, but it sounds like Sony may continue this recent trend of rolling out speedy replacements to keep up with changing trends.
Eager to hear what’s coming? Here’s what we know so far.
When will the Sony Xperia XZ4 be out?
Sony launched the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact at Mobile World Congress last February before rolling out the XZ3 this autumn. Rumours suggest another MWC debut in 2019.
Sony’s hosting an MWC event, and the Xperia XZ4 is expected to roll out, with the once-rumoured and leaked Xperia XZ4 now seeming less likely due to executive comments (keep reading). If the XZ4 does indeed debut at MWC, we should see a release in March or April.
Fact or fiction?
Seems likely to us.
How much will the Sony Xperia XZ4 cost?
The Xperia XZ3 kept the £699 price tag of its predecessor. We don’t think that will happen again this time.
Given the constant upward trend in flagship pricing and the rumoured enhancements in tow for the Xperia XZ4, we suspect a price bump. MySmartPrice suggests a price of 64,999 INR in India, which converts to about £715 as of this writing. We could see it reach a bit higher, though.
What you’re seeing above is purportedly a proper leaked photo of the Xperia XZ4 posted to Chinese social media site Weibo, spotted by Sumaho (via MySmartPrice).
Fact or fiction?
It might be as small as £50, but we do expect a solid price increase for the XZ4.
What will the Sony Xperia XZ4 look like?
We saw modest design enhancement between the Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ3, given the short time span between the two. How about the Xperia XZ4, then?
Noted leaker IceUniverse has shared a purported image of the back and sides along with a case (up top), and it shows what looks like a flatter backing than the last two phones. It’s also very tall, which suggests a potential 21:9 aspect ratio for the screen. The backing doesn’t seem to have quite as extreme of a mirror finish to it as before, but it has a nicely understated quality.
The speculative render at the top of this story, also from IceUniverse, shows what that purported 21:9 aspect ratio might look like. Again, super tall.
Meanwhile, MySmartPrice and OnLeaks have shared renders based on purported CAD data, matching the IceUniverse leaks on the backing and showing less bezel than the Xperia XZ3 on the front.
As for the Xperia XZ4 Compact, speculative renders based on supposedly leaked CAD data shows a similar back and sides, but still a pretty big chunk of top and bottom bezel on the front.
However, it’s possible that the XZ4 Compact won’t even release: Don Mesa, Sony Mobile’s vice president of marketing, told Digital Trends in January 2019 that they believe buyers are more interested in larger handsets these days.
"We stuck with Compact for a very long time, because of the ease of use," he said. "There’s always room for different sizes, but people want a lot more surface area for their content now."
Fact or fiction?
This looks like a nice evolution of the Xperia XZ3’s design, and hopefully the speculation about slimmer bezels on the front proves correct.
Also Read › Sony Xperia XZ3 review
What about the Sony Xperia XZ4’s screen?
The Xperia XZ3 made a big leap in screen quality over the XZ2, bringing in an OLED panel while bumping the resolution to Quad HD. It’s one of the best screens around.
And honestly, we’re not expecting a huge difference again. It’ll probably use the same tech as the Xperia XZ3’s brilliant panel, but MySmartPrice suggests a 6.5in 3360×1440 panel for the purportedly taller screen – larger than the 6in screen from the XZ3.
What you’re seeing above is purportedly a look at the tempered film cover of the Xperia XZ4 compared to the size of the Apple iPhone XS Max, alongside the film from two other handsets. It comes from leaker IceUniverse and gives a sense of the dimensions of the handset given the supposedly super-tall 21:9 display.
GSM Arena points to "CinemaWide" branding for these extra-tall (or extra-wide in landscape) displays. And the XZ4 apparently won’t be the only phone with such a panel: leaked renders for the mid-range Xperia XA3, also expected at MWC this year, show another 21:9 panel.
Fact or fiction?
Sounds right to us – and sounds great too. It should really help set the Xperia XZ4 apart from the Android flagship competition.
How much power will the Sony Xperia XZ4 pack?
Sony’s flagships have reliably used Qualcomm’s top-end processor tech, and that should be true again in 2019. We expect to see the Snapdragon 855 chip within.
Building from the foundation of this year’s Snapdragon 845 seen in both the Xperia XZ2 and XZ3, the Snapdragon 855 promises up to a 3x performance boost for A.I. applications, along with computer vision capabilities for cameras to recognize people and items. And the smaller 7nm production process can pack in more overall power, too.
MySmartPrice suggests that the Xperia XZ4 will pack 6GB RAM, but believes that an 8GB variant is also possible.
Fact or fiction?
This seems almost certain. Whether the Snapdragon 855 rules the flagship world in benchmark testing remains to be seen, but we’re sure it’ll be plenty fast.
Also Read › The 10 best smartphones in the world right now
What kind of cameras will the Sony Xperia XZ4 have?
While other flagship phones packed in extra cameras, the XZ3 stuck with one on the back. But that could significantly change for the next version.
The aforementioned leaked render shows three back cameras, joining the likes of the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and P20 Pro in that department, and the CAD-based speculative renders match that concept. We haven’t heard any hard details on the specs of those cameras, but hopefully we get a stronger shooter experience than the pretty-good XZ3.
The image above comes from case maker Olixar via Mobile Fun, and shows another look at what they believe the Xperia XZ4 and its triple-camera setup will look like.
Meanwhile, the XZ4 Compact leak shows just one back camera, which makes sense for a smaller, lower-priced handset.
Fact or fiction?
We could certainly see three cameras on the back of the Xperia XZ3, but it’s sure to bump up the price as well.
Is there anything else I should know about the Sony Xperia XZ4?
The Snapdragon 855 is built to support 5G networks, but as of now there’s no indication that the Xperia XZ4 will go that route. Maybe it’ll be a pricier special edition… or maybe Sony will just hold out until the XZ5.
Rumours also suggest that Sony will put the fingerprint sensor into the right-side power button, rather than on the back – or in the display, as some recent flagships have done. Anything’s better than the too-low back placement of the XZ3.
Express cites a rumour that the Xperia XZ4 will have a 3,900mAh battery pack. That’s 300mAh less than the Huawei Mate 20 Pro… however, TechnoBezz has a purported Xperia XZ4 specs sheet that points to a 4,400mAh pack, which would put it right near the top of the pack in the flagship space. That’d be a very nice perk for Sony’s new handset, if true.
Fact or fiction?
These all seem like pretty sound enhancements that should result in an even more appealing Sony flagship, but we’ll have to see what the price tag ends up being.
Andrew Hayward
Freelance Writer 
