Sony Xperia Z Successor i1 "Honami" Images and Specs Leak: Rumored Unveil Date

While the Xperia Z and its Ultra variant are rolling out across the globe, the next big thing from Sony, the Xperia i1, has been hitting the tech rumor mill. There have been leaked renders and leaked photos that turn out not to be true, but this time, it's a leaked photo that looks to be the Xperia i1. The photo was leaked on the Chinese mega website Sina Weibo, and also put up online by Boy Genius Report.

Judging by the photos, it looks like the Sony Xperia i1 will conform to the boxy, flat, long form factor that Sony's Xperia Z has. Its wallpaper is even Sony's signature three-toned ribbon "Xperia" background. Even though photos are leaking online, it doesn't look like the Xperia i1 will be around until late 2013, and it hasn't been officially announced yet.

However, there are some possible leaked specs going around the net, and if they are true, the Xperia i1 will be a properly beefed up successor to the Xperia Z. The i1 is rumored to be powered by a quad-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, which is what Sony recently plugged into the Xperia Z Ultra supped-up phablet. It's also rumored to sport a 5-inch Full HD 1080p display, which the Xperia Z has.

Also similar to Sony's previous handsets, the Xperia i1 may come with a dust and water resistant IP57 specification, or better, and have a more than ample 3,000 mAh battery. Other possible specs include 16GB storage and a microSD slot to expand the total storage by another 64GB.

The most interesting and exciting rumored specs, though, are about the camera. Sony's previous flagship shooter had a 13-megapixel sensor, but the Xperia i1 is rumored to feature a high-end 1/2.3-inch ExmorRS sensor, which is capable of shooting about 20-megapixels.

Sony is rumored to release the Xperia i1 in late 2013, but keep with us for more updates, as early September is when the flagship is expected to be officially announced by Sony. And remember, rumored specs may be off, so we'll just have to wait and see to know for sure.