With scant confirmed specs and no official release dates, the Xperia Z1S and Xperia Tianchi are shrouded in mystery, but now it appears the phones may arrive sooner than many would have guessed.
According to a information obtained by the Chinese website Digi-Wo (Via RBMen) Sony is preparing to reveal both the Xperia Z1S and Tianchi on Nov. 12 at a media event in Shanghai, China. This suggests that the two smartphones will be coming to China, possibly before the end of 2013, with a wider release potentially in the works as well.
We've heard whispers about the Xperia Z1S before, but not much has been confirmed for the device. The most persistent rumor is that the Xperia Z1S will be an international version of the Xperia Z1F, also known as the Honami Mini. As implied by the title, the Xperia Z1F will be a smaller version of the flagship Xperia Z1, and will feature similar specs to that phone.
Despite these rumors, it has not been confirmed that the Xperia Z1S is a version of the Z1F, so unless Sony confirms this in Shanghai on Nov. 12 take this news with a grain of salt. The Xperia Z1F is currently only available in Japan. The Xperia Z1F has a 4.3-inch display and the same 20.7-megapixel camera as the Xperia Z1.
On the other hand, the Xperia Tianchi is rumored to be a budget version of the Xperia Z1. For example, instead of the popular and powerful Qualcomm processor, the Xperia Tianchi will have MediaTek chipsets according to rumors. However, despite the weaker chipset the smartphone is rumored to have a bigger screen than either the Xperia Z1S or the Xperia Z1. The device is rumored to have a 6-inch display with a 1280x720 resolution.
It will be interesting to see what Sony has up their sleeve at this media event, and if these two new versions of the original Xperia Z1 are unveiled to the public. In addition, Sony may hint at the successor to the Xperia Z1, the Xperia Z2, which is rumored for an April 2014 release date.
Look out for more news right here on the Xperia Z1S, Xperia Tianchi, and the Nov. 12 media event in China as the date draws closer.