A glimpse at the Xperia XZ4
Three cameras and bezels
There’s already been quite a few ‘leaks’ and lots of hypothetical information about what the next Sony Mobile flagship phone, the Xperia XZ4, can be. Till now, a lot of the information out there has been speculation and renders based on second hand information, but as we approach the phones likely unveiling at MWC 2019 in February, we’re likely to start seeing some more concrete leaks. Previously, the most juicy information around the Xperia XZ4 was the following:
but now, we’re starting to see a more focused vision. We’ll likely never know if the earlier information was incorrect or if over time, as Sony finalized the phone, that certain features and design decisions were left behind. James Peckham for techradar:
If they are real, the renders suggest the phone won’t have a notch but will sport a similar screen-to-body ratio as the Xperia XZ3. It looks to be a 6.5-inch display with a 21:9 aspect ratio.
All the front-facing camera tech seems to be in the top bezel, so the company has been able to avoid adopting a notch in the screen.
Of course that lack of a notch means a top bezel and a bottom bezel, something earlier rumors had indicated the XZ4 would be ditching. It also appears that despite the top bezel where camera arrays will be housed, the XZ4 won’t have any form of Face ID system and instead, will relay on a fingerprint reader that’s moving back to the side, likely on the power button.
You’ll also notice there’s no fingerprint scanner on the rear of the phone, but the company won’t be using an in-screen scanner here. It looks like the company will reintegrate the fingerprint scanner into the power button on the side of the phone like on handsets such as the Sony Xperia Z5.
It’s difficult to tell in the renders, but it looks like the company will continue to have a premium glass finish on the rear and there’s no clear sign of a 3.5mm headphone jack either.
Another thing that’s different from original leaks is the number of cameras. Previously, it was believed the XZ4 would include a 4 camera array while the most recent rumors suggest 3 cameras.
On the rear of the device we can see a triple-camera, which is the first time the company has used more than one rear shooter on its main Xperia XZ line. Even the Xperia XZ3 only had a single camera on the rear, so it’s quite a jump to see Sony move up to three.
The company did include a dual camera on the Xperia XZ2 Premium. There’s currently no clear information on the specs of the camera for Xperia XZ4.
Seeing how two cameras have been part of flagship phones for 3 or 4 years now, it’s not surprising to see Sony skip past them and go to either 3 or 4 cameras which is where mobile photography is headed. Still, the number of cameras isn’t as interesting as what they do with it.
Until now, Xperia hasn’t been pushing the boundaries of photography like iPhone and Pixel have been. If I were a betting man, Sony is finally getting behind portrait photography but what additional thing they can do with an extra 1 or 2 cameras remains to be seen. So much of photography going forward is about computational photography and depth data — the more camera arrays on a smartphone, the more various depth and exposures it can capture that are then combined for one pristine photo.
Thanks for being an SRN reader. If you liked this post and want to help me cover Sony even more with reviews, videos, and podcasts, please clap (you can 👏 more than once!), share on your favorite social sites, and subscribe to the SRN newsletter.
