How will the Xperia Z6 be different from the current model?
Even before Xperia Z5 could make its way to other parts of the world (e.g. Canada), talk about the handset's successor has already begun, with some speculating on its release date.
Considering Sony's relentless 6-month release cycle, it's not surprising that observers are already eyeing the development of Z6 this early.
However, according to recent reports, it appears that Sony will be slowing down its flagship phone release cycle from a two-a-year habit to an annual one. As such, it's likely that the Z6 will appear in the second half of 2016, instead of early next year.
"Sony's art director (Rikke Gertsen Constein) discussed the Xperia Z5 lineup along with plans for the future," TechnoBuffalo noted. "She notes that the company is already looking several cycles ahead with devices set to launch in the second half of 2016, 2017 and 2018."
"That suggests the Japanese giant doesn't have any plans to release a new flagship phone early next year," it added. "Instead, the company could be shifting towards a yearly product cycle similar to Apple, which typically announces new iPhones once per year in September."
This change will reportedly help the company cut down on costs and also prevent obliging Sony fans from upgrading to a new model twice a year.
As expected, this slower cycle also has its share of disadvantages. Rival smartphone makers like LG and Samsung continue to release new models a couple of times in a year, allowing them to edge out other brands with less frenetic production timetables.
"The Xperia Z5 series seems to be a strong lineup of phones and is sure to take the company through to at least mid-2016 so it wouldn't be a massive surprise if the company kept this pattern for the foreseeable future," Tech Radar noted.
With that, there appears to be much time to speculate over the Z6 and a longer while before we have confirmation regarding the leaks.
It's been said that the Z6 may either have a 1,080p resolution or a UHD display.
"A QHD display seems unlikely, given that Sony didn't even include one on the Xperia Z3+, and made the jump straight from Full HD to UHD in the Z5 series. After all, the distinction between Full HD and QHD is almost indiscernable to the human eye," Android Pit speculated.
"Xperia Z6 will almost certainly employ Sony's OmniBalance design," it added. "It is widely anticipated that by next year, nearly all high-end smartphones will use the Snapdragon 820, which promises to be faster and smarter than the Snapdragon 810."
The new model is also anticipated to have a USB type C connector and a microSD card slot.
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