The Sony Xperia XZ4 Leaks Ahead Of Official Reveal

Damien McFerran 15/01/2019 – 8:32am

Triple cameras, no 3.5mm headphone jack

Sony has struggled to maintain the interest of consumers in recent years, with its line of Xperia phones failing to make the same kind of impression as Samsung, LG or even Xiaomi. Last year, the company issued a statement that admitted that it hadn't done enough to update its line of phones, also citing a lack of innovation as another reason for consumer apathy.

Last year's Xperia XZ3 garnered decent reviews, thanks to its good stamina, slick design and feature-rich camera, but was arguably outgunned by rivals which offered more complex camera setups and fancy, full-body screen designs. Due to this, it's clear that the XZ4 is going to be a big release for the company, especially in a year when rivals like Samsung are expected to roll out 5G phones and folding handsets.

Sony has yet to lift the lid on the Xperia XZ4, but we know what it will look like thanks to case maker Olixar, which has revealed images of the device (clad in its cases, of course).

The big news is that the XZ4 has three cameras on its rear, the first Sony phone to do so. Sony hasn't really chased the multi-camera bandwagon thus far but it's clear that 2019 is going to be the year when it jumps on, feet-first.

The other news is that the fingerprint scanner – which was on the back on the XZ3 – has been moved. We don't know for sure as yet but it would seem that it has been relocated to the power button, which is located on the side of the phone. There haven't been any rumours relating to an in-screen scanner on the XZ4 (something Samsung is said to be including in the S10), but we liked the side-mounted scanners on past Sony phones, so it's not a deal-breaker.

It is believed that the XZ4's screen will be supplied by LG, which may give some buyers pause for thought as the South Korean firm doesn't have the best track record when it comes to mobile display technology.

The images leaked by Olixar also show the tall screen, lack of notch and no 3.5mm headphone jack. The XZ4 is expected to launch for around £700, and should be powered by Qualcomm's shiny new Snapdragon 855 chipset. Leaks suggest 6GB of RAM, and the phone should also include a MicroSD card slot for expandable storage.