Sony Z4 finally announced

[Strk]

http://www.phonedog.com/2015/04/20/sony-xperia-z4-makes-its-official-debut-snapdragon-810-inside

A fairly quiet launch, but everything looks about like what was expected. They haven't said when it will be available though.

 

[Kelvrick]

A nice evolution of the Sony Z3. I like how it is still 1080p as I never cared about 4k and it should help with both performance and battery life.

Hopefully all the 810 rumors are false, or at least worked out by the time they go in the Z4 and I'll be getting a new phone.

 

[WelshBloke]

A nice evolution of the Sony Z3.

It's nearly identical to the Z3. Just wait for the Z4 to come out and buy a Z3 at a knock down price if you really want to buy a Sony Z phone. Then again the Z5 will be out in 6 months if they are still making phones then.

Its got a slightly better forward camera, a slightly smaller battery, a CPU which is prone to overheating but other than that are there any real differences?

 

[Strk]

It's nearly identical to the Z3. Just wait for the Z4 to come out and buy a Z3 at a knock down price if you really want to buy a Sony Z phone. Then again the Z5 will be out in 6 months if they are still making phones then.

Its got a slightly better forward camera, a slightly smaller battery, a CPU which is prone to overheating but other than that are there any real differences?

Sony has already stated they are going to switch to an annual refresh cycle. I do hope the heat issue was more of a batch issue than the overall chip though. I remember someone posting something about that; here's hoping it is true.

I like the sound of it no longer having the glass back. That never made sense to me. Sure, I always put my phone in a case, but still always seemed unnecessary. I'll still probably end up getting the Z4 though. The speakers and the battery life alone make me want it -- at least if they are similar to the previous models anyways.

 

[paperwastage]

still looking for an update to the Z Ultra line....

think sony gave up on the Z Ultra line, and went with Z4(main flagship) and Z3 tablet compact (8.1" tablet with voice capability) and Z3 compact (compact flagship)

but other than that are there any real differences?

looks like there's a cap-less microUSB, which is good... (the headphone jack went cap-less ?3? generations ago in the ?z1?)

 

[Anubis]

this says only in Japan?
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2911933/xperia-z4-reflects-sonys-timidity-in-smartphones.html

that's kinda shitty

 

[Strk]

this says only in Japan?
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2911933/xperia-z4-reflects-sonys-timidity-in-smartphones.html

that's kinda shitty

http://www.sonymobile.co.jp/company/press/entry/2015/0420_1_xperia_z4.html

Unfortunately, it was announced on their blog in Japan. So a lot is really being based on a [Google] translated announcement. Here's hoping they do a global release.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I do hope the heat issue was more of a batch issue than the overall chip though.

The real fix is waiting for a device with a Qualcomm 815, as the company admits that SoC runs 6C (FREAKING 6C!) cooler than the 810:

http://www.ubergizmo.com/2015/03/qualcomm-snapdragon-815-said-to-run-cooler-than-the-snapdragon-810/

Some people feel that the issue with the 810 is solved though:

http://semiaccurate.com/2015/03/02/behind-fake-qualcomm-snapdragon-810-overheating-rumors/

 

[Commodus]

The Z4 is Japan-only for now, I'm sure. Sony is likely just catering to its strongest user base at first.

 

[yh125d]

If it gets on Verizon in a reasonable time frame, in its normal form (screw you, Z3v), and the combo of 810+smaller battery doesn't ruin the battery life, I'm getting one.

 

[kaerflog]

Ahh....the Z4 looks like the Z3 which looks like the Z2 which looks like the Z.
No wonder Sony mobile division is losing money. Wheres the innovation ??

 

[Oyeve]

So, will all 5 of the Z3 owners upgrade?

 

[yh125d]

Ahh....the Z4 looks like the Z3 which looks like the Z2 which looks like the Z.
No wonder Sony mobile division is losing money. Wheres the innovation ??

To be fair, they've been ahead of the game for awhile, but they haven't gotten much credit for it. While they haven't changed all that much, which HTC and Samsung have certainly been criticized for, they have had some awesome design choices for awhile now. Metal frame with glass front and back are what everyone praises the S6 for. Stereo front facing speakers is what everyone praises HTC for. Sony has had Quick charge 2.0 since the Z2, and we all saw the battery life they had on the Z3 while being only 7.3mm

I was considering upgrading early to an S6, but I'm waiting for the Z4. I see it as similar frame, slimness, and build quality. Slightly lower soc/camera/screen, but still good. Added stereo speakers, better battery life, water/dust proof. Lose wireless charging. No physical home button which is a huge plus for me.

 

[lopri]

A whole bunch of pictures @Xperiablog. It became more compact in every dimension compared to the Z3.

http://www.xperiablog.net/2015/04/20/xperia-z4-hands-on-pics-including-comparison-with-xperia-z3/

 

[Strk]

http://www.androidauthority.com/sonys-real-flagship-land-next-month-602681/

I wonder how much truth there is to that one, but it could be interesting. If it's not, I just hope Sony at least sells the Z4 through their site as an unlocked phone.

 

[Kelvrick]

Maybe I'm a recent Sony Z bandwagon fan, but I don't see the criticism. So they don't change much, but it has everything anyone could want, aside from a removable battery. But, they have awesome battery life. Microsd card, great screen, "premium" materials that everyone is all leg humping samsung for doing when Sony has had it from the beginning, dual front facing speakers, water/dust proof. Oh yeah, the dedicated camera button is fucking awesome.

I just hope Snapdragon S810 doesn't ruin it.

 

[yh125d]

Maybe I'm a recent Sony Z bandwagon fan, but I don't see the criticism. So they don't change much, but it has everything anyone could want, aside from a removable battery. But, they have awesome battery life. Microsd card, great screen, "premium" materials that everyone is all leg humping samsung for doing when Sony has had it from the beginning, dual front facing speakers, water/dust proof. Oh yeah, the dedicated camera button is fucking awesome.

I just hope Snapdragon S810 doesn't ruin it.

Agreed. I'm hoping sticking to 1080p should limit any battery issues/overheating of the 810. My last two phones were one step down from what the new flagships were at the time (540p when 720p was coming out, 720p when 1080p was coming out) and neither I nor anyone I showed it to could make out any considerable differences. I have no reason to believe 1080p at 5.2 would be disappointing when I'm perfectly happy with 720p at 5" now.

Everyone is one upping each other, or at least staying with the pack when it comes to phone specs, particularly resolution and SOC speed. For normal use and media consumption, even my droid razr from 2.5 years ago is fast enough and has a good enough screen that probably 80% of users wouldn't really notice a difference between it and an S6. But 100% of users experience battery based frustrations on a pretty regular basis. I don't think Motorola and Sony get enough credit for realizing that most specs are already a step or two beyond what most people need, and focusing on battery life instead.

 

[WelshBloke]

Maybe I'm a recent Sony Z bandwagon fan, but I don't see the criticism. So they don't change much, but it has everything anyone could want, aside from a removable battery. But, they have awesome battery life. Microsd card, great screen, "premium" materials that everyone is all leg humping samsung for doing when Sony has had it from the beginning, dual front facing speakers, water/dust proof. Oh yeah, the dedicated camera button is fucking awesome.

I just hope Snapdragon S810 doesn't ruin it.

Why bother buying it when the Z3s practically the same phone but will be a load cheaper?

 

[Strk]

Maybe I'm a recent Sony Z bandwagon fan, but I don't see the criticism. So they don't change much, but it has everything anyone could want, aside from a removable battery. But, they have awesome battery life. Microsd card, great screen, "premium" materials that everyone is all leg humping samsung for doing when Sony has had it from the beginning, dual front facing speakers, water/dust proof. Oh yeah, the dedicated camera button is fucking awesome.

I just hope Snapdragon S810 doesn't ruin it.

It is pretty ridiculous that Sony kind of had everything, but barely did anything with it. Did they even try and advertise it? They just kept pushing out devices and instead of promoting them, they would just make a new one (seriously, 6 month cycle was asinine)

Why bother buying it when the Z3s practically the same phone but will be a load cheaper?

Because it's not loads cheaper unless you're buying used.

 

[Kelvrick]

Why bother buying it when the Z3s practically the same phone but will be a load cheaper?

I've been burned with used phones before, so I tend to only buy new from a retail establishment. That means no big price drop from used phones, at least.

If the 810 isn't as bad though, and only offers 15-20% more performance for me to play games, then I'll gladly pay the difference of say $700 to $350 between the Z4 and Z3. I spend a lot more elsewhere with not even that much justification. It is too bad this may be Sony's last phone and they won't be around to make a Z5 with the 815 that will probably resolve all the 810 problems.

 

[lopri]

Xperia Z series phones look good already and as long as Sony keeps improving upon previous designs I do not take points away just because the new model is iterative in the appearance.

Having said that, I wish they made the corners rounder.. even if that entails unpleasant copycat accusations. Currently they are a bit too angular and not very ergonomic on 5"+ devices.

 

[WelshBloke]

Because it's not loads cheaper unless you're buying used.

Z3 is currently £460 on Expansys, the Z2 is about £300. I'd say that was considerably cheaper.

 

[soccerballtux]

too much bezel

 

[Strk]

Z3 is currently £460 on Expansys, the Z2 is about £300. I'd say that was considerably cheaper.

Yeah, but some of us don't have to deal with over-inflated UK prices. The price difference for us is $70-80 bucks.

too much bezel

I'm always a little lenient on this one when the phone has dual front-facing speakers.

 

[WelshBloke]

Yeah, but some of us don't have to deal with over-inflated UK prices. The price difference for us is $70-80 bucks.

Expansys USA has them at $580 and $375. What shop do you normally use?