SONY XPERIA Rumors 2014

On 2014-03-19 21:17:31, Muhammad-Oli wrote:


That sounds really interesting actually... but I hope Sony isn't bloating their UI.

On 2014-03-21 10:05:31, randomuser wrote:
@amirprog

Very few of those things u mentioned will actually make it.

CPU- S805 and 3GB RAM

The only major upgrade over the Z2 would be chipset (S805 with Adreno 420) and the newer design. Rest of the things will not see a huge jump. Significant reduction in bezels is also not going to happen unless there is a new technological breakthrough.

Z2 already comes with High Res Audio support. No dedicated audio chips.

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Posted by vivftp
Wonder when they'll come out with a phone good enough to make me finally upgrade from my Z Ultra.

Sure the Z2 is tempting and all, but I want a "holy shit" phone to replace my Ultra. C'mon Sony, let's see it!

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Posted by kurtdean
@random
How bout z3? Will it comes with dedicated audio chip?

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Posted by randomuser
No.

No dedicated audio chip in Any Xperia ever pretty much.

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Posted by supercoolman
unless you can shrink size of cap. otherwise, dedicated audio chip is just a waste or makes phone bulky

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Posted by Wintermute
I, for one, am pleased to hear that the next Z Ultra might have an even larger display, but Randomuser, do you have reason to believe the next Ultra will get the new Z3 design? If it doesn't, I won't cry about it. Omnibalance is still the classiest smartphone design out, in my opinion, but the thought of a glass Arc design does make me drool a little bit.

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Posted by amirprog
@Wintermute
i'm sure the z2 ultra it will be a great device but it will have chance to sell only as tablet. most people be it the average consumer or even tech geeks will not agree to carry 6.5" display (more or less) phablet or want to attach a bluetooth headset for calls as daily driver. this inconvenience could be solved when devices will be foldable so you could fold it to half its size like folder and put in pocket - or use it for calls when its folded.
i bet for the next flagship or in 2015 sony will go for 5.4" display for Z because all the QHD panels are 5.4" or more and the compact will get slightly bigger display, so it says it all...
all "2" devices have similar design language, even t2 ultra. this is why they are all labeled with 2...

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Posted by ascariss
High res audio support is nice but I'd also like to see a dedicated S-master amp.

I am not looking forward to a 20MP 1/2.4 sensor. The current sensor already has too many megapixels for the sensor, would have been better for a 16 or 18mp on the 1/2.3. Or perhaps making the module smaller if they could.

Clearly the only reason to go for a smaller sensor is to reduce the size of the unit, which would permit Sony to shrink the bezels even more and claim a slimmer and smaller phone.

Personally I'd sacrifice having a larger top bezel (even larger than the Z1) and reducing the bottom bezel, in order to fit a larger sensor into the body, perhaps a 1/1.8 at 18-20mp, no more. And perhaps improving the size of the overall sensor module to make it as compact as possible yet maintaining the quality. Or make the bezels smaller and add a small bump to the back of the device to fit in the larger module. I'm probably in the minority here.

4k screens in phones is not the way to go now, battery tech has no caught up yet, and it would be wiser to use a 1080p panel with great colours and viewing angles, low energy use and thin design which should/would free up space for either a larger battery or thinner design (probably the latter).

if new ultra will have a larger screen, then i'd really like to see some kind of accessory keyboard which could be used, something like the tab z2 has.

If Z3 brings nothing new to the table, then I will swap for a discounted Z2 later on in the year.

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Posted by DexterMoser
^I totally agree with you!
What I really want:
Dedicated amp for speaker and headphones (or Qualcomm gets their shit right...).
Bigger sensor. Image quality > bezels!
1080p screen will maintain very good battery life.
But I guess these are childish dreams, haha...

If Z3 will just get this minor camera improvements, I can buy Z2 without any regret
Even though this would be a bit sad...

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Posted by amirprog
@ascariss
all in all i agree.
@DexterMoser
http://appleinsider.com/artic[....]el-horserace-with-2014-iphones
"One final graphic from Kuo's projections show Sony will launch a 21MP 1/2.4" CIS in the last quarter of 2014. Although the pixel count is nearly triple that of Apple's current iSight camera, the introduction may hint at the direction in which the company will be pulled by component purchasers as the megapixel race continues."
i'm not sure what the last line means but according to it, no new sensor until probably Q4 2015, like randomuser said.
aside of design and s805, let's safely bet on incremental upgrades like dual LED, 32 gb internal, bigger battery, IR, etc.

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Posted by -XYZ
I seriously question why Sony would make their already excellent sensor smaller....it's just illogical. If anything I would have expected them to make a 1/2.2 sensor.
They better have enhanced optics (without any soft spot like the Z1(c). Also optical/sensor shift image stabilisation to make up for the smaller sensor.

Better yet, I hope they dont use a smaller sensor at all.
If the so-called "arc design" requires a smaller sensor, scrap it and come up with something new!!!

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Posted by randomuser
The answer is simple. It's all about the thin race now. Sony's priority is also thinner devices, hence there is no room for bigger sensors or xenon or special DAC.

As for the lens, yes that's something Sony should look into. Corner softness is a major issue even on the Z2. I see no improvement on that front over Z1 and Z1C.

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Posted by miromiromi
i really wonder why samsung does not seem to have the random softness/blur problem

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Posted by Wintermute


Well, with all due respect, I don't care about what the average user wants, I want my 6.7" ZU 2!! In all seriousness, though, I don't think the Ultra is meant to sell to the average person. They have the Z2 for that, and the Z1 Compact for people who want smaller phones.

Also, has it been confirmed that the next Ultra will even be the Z2 Ultra? Since it probably won't be coming out until the Z3 is almost here anyway, it seems more logical to me to make it the Z3 Ultra, and not the Z2 Ultra. That would just make it sounds outdated. They really need to get their three Z phones lined up, in my opinion. Right now, their premium lineup is the Xperia Z Ultra, the Z1 Compact, and the Z2. It LOOKS to an average person like there are generations of smartphones there, but they really all use basically the same hardware, and represent the premium tier of their respective sizes. Come IFA, they need an Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Ultra. Then hopefully they won't lag too long in putting out the Z3 Compact. Keep it all simple for their consumer who is looking to buy one of your devices.

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Posted by itsjustJOH


Better components, I guess.

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Posted by amirprog
@Wintermute
And its what i meant - sony wants to makes the ultra as more of a tablet because z kind of fills the phablet roll already. BUT, sony better market the z ultra as mini tablet with 7" display or more because aside of you and few other people, the rest won't buy it as daily driver. i hope that sony wants z ultra to be successful in the mini tablet category or else, why put a device on the market if very few people will buy it? be prepared to carry a bag with you 24/7 because it's not possible to carry 7" tablet in your pocket as daily driver, unless you are a rapper with baggy pants. i suppose you are not. z ultra with 6.44" is borderline in pocketability. are you really going to carry 7" display device as daily driver?
You are not aware of sony's strategy which is:
first half: compact>z>z ultra
second half: z
and according to what people are saying here and in other forum it will stay that way. to sony z IS the main flagship so it's the device that will change a number first in second half. z ultra is basically a mini tablet of it's bigger brother.
i see no prob with that strategy, or with z ultra last announcement time frame (june) - its shortly after the new s8xx is released so the new z ultra will surely be announced with s805 and will be one of the first devices with it. a great time frame. your suggestion of sony announcing z and z ultra together is really bad because it will make the z ultra look old since it will have to carry the old number and labeling it as z3 ultra will make it skip 2 number which would be even more strange then going from z to z1.

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Posted by >>SAMEH


wide angle lens

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Posted by -XYZ
It's probably because Sony's sensor is much larger than the competition, and as such may require a larger diameter lens in order for the whole scene to remain sharp.
Perhaps the slightly smaller sensor will resolve this, assuming they're still using the same lens set-up.

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Posted by Wintermute


I mean, I wear normal, 4 pocket, tapered-leg trousers. No baggy pants, and ZU fits in ALL of my pant pockets without problem. The ZU pocketability complaints are REALLY overblown. Now, you may not enjoy carrying a device that big in your pocket, I can certainly understand that, but it WILL fit in your pockets, I assure you. You would have to have some TINY pockets for the ZU not to fit. There are some people who carry Nexus 7s with Google Voice for calls as their phone. Phones are getting bigger anyway, with the new flagships exceeding 5," and even Apple is rumored to have larger phones coming out. 6.44" already seems smaller than it did last year, and it'll seem even smaller by next year.

Anyway, I understand Sony's strategy, I just don't agree with it. Who cares if the Z Ultra skips from Z to Z3? It's already going to skip to Z2, unless they really want to bring out a new Z1 Ultra at the same time they unveil the Xperia Z3. THAT would be stupid.

I understand the reasons why they've done things the way they have, but at this point, Sony has put themselves in a position where their phones have confusing names, and fixing it is going to involve doing something weird no matter how they choose to go about it. I'm telling you though, having three current, top-of-the-line phones with three different numbers is a bad, bad move. Releasing the new Z Ultra alongside the Z3 makes the most sense, and it's about the only way to align all the numbers. It doesn't matter if it makes the Z Ultra look "old" because, A). it ALREADY looks old (we already have an Xperia Z2; why would an uneducated customer look at the Z Ultra when they know the Z2 is the latest and greatest?), and B). they would be pushing the new Z Ultra. Sony, by virtue of their two-flagship-per-year strategy, already has their name in the news more often than other companies. I really don't think they need to sacrifice a coherent naming scheme in order to get in the news four times per year rather than three, or whatever. Z(x) around MWC, Z(x+1) (and Z(x+1) Ultra and Compact) around IFA is enough.

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Posted by amirprog
@Wintermute
z ultra is at the border of pocketability for anyone. period. it's not just if you can stuff it in your pocket but also how comfortable it is to carry inside your pocket, especially when you sit. making the next one bigger (supposedly 7" which is one step up from 6.44") then 6.44" which some already say it's too big while marketing it as a phone is not good. nexus 7 is a tablet. it doesn't have cellular phone capabilities which also makes it's price tag lower if i'm not mistaken. irrelevant. if sony release the next ultra with 7" display and don't market it as a mini tablet while having a very high price tag then i assure you, it will not sell. nobody aside of you will buy a 7" daily driver. how do you encounter this point? wouldn't you like sony to keep releasing 7" phones in the coming years? they won't if it will keep not selling, unless they are stupid. i think we don't hear how much z ultra sold because only few people bought so it would be a joke to publish the numbers to the press.
no, apple is not going to cross 5.7" with their new phablet. (in 5 years from now they will arrive to 6" and stop there ). no, the other companies which market their devices as flagship phablets will not cross 6" (note for example). not comparable.
bottom line: if you market your device as a daily driver phone and you can't carry it comfortably in your pocket (which with 7" display no one really can) then your device won't sell and the line will disappear.

who cares? their marketing team care very much and any company that wants to sell as much of their products.

a) not the same devices - z is a flagship. z ultra is an over sized phone. b) so you are basically saying that less buzz is "enough"? in order to sell, a company will do what is ideal for their products to make the most buzz. marketing both z and z ultra as high end phones and announcing them together would be silly. no company does it for this reason and for the reason that both would not sell as much because they would be released at the same time. you will never ever see samsung or any other company announce their note and galaxy s at the same time frame/event.

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Posted by amirprog
another solution for bigger phablets aside of making foldable phones, is cloths companies making pants with "mobile pockets". it could help making such devices more acceptable as daily drivers: http://bgr.com/2013/04/26/phablet-size-study-pants-467278/ although it's questionable how 7" display phone would feel when you sit.

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Posted by Wintermute


I didn't say they needed to make the next ZU 7." That WOULD be too big, in my opinion. But a slightly bigger screen in the same chassis or the same screen in a slightly smaller chassis are both possible and either would please me. And again, please post sales numbers for the XZU, or else stop talking about how it "didn't sell." That's an empirical question, and you need to have empirical evidence before you start making claims about it. But anyway, the ZU series could have a higher price tag and be more of a low-volume, high-margin proposition. You don't have to sell 50 million units of something to make money on it.

Anyway, you're wrong about pocketability. The ZU fits in pockets fine, and that's a FACT. It fits in mine, and there are numerous "pocket tests" on the Internet that show that it goes in pockets. You may not have a lot of extra room, but don't you think that's something Sony would have thought about when they were designing the phone? Of course it is.

About the Z brand: they have very clearly marketed their Xperia Z_ series as being their signature, premium line. Talk about "the flagship" is irrelevant, and it's a distinction you've just invented, with no basis in fact. The Z Ultra is a bigger Z1. So if the Z1 is a flagship, the Z Ultra is a bigger flagship (actually, the Z1 is a smaller Z Ultra--since the ZU was released first, that really makes the ZU the flagship, and the Z1 the derivative, if you want to play that game). How are you making your distinction? The answer is, of course, that you've just invented it on the spot. Now of course the "regular size" Z1 and Z2, etc. are going to sell the most, because they're the most normal size, but the entire Z lineup is essentially the same hardware, just in different form factors.

Yes, I am saying that less buzz is enough. You don't need to be in headlines all the time, or people will stop paying attention. Anyway, even if you don't agree, by your logic, Sony ought to release a new flagship every month, because that would be more buzz, and would cause more units to sell, right? Of course not, that's stupid.

Anyway, I respect your opinion, but please stop talking like you've been in the consumer electronics business for 30 years. You don't seem to have any more business acumen than any of the rest of us.

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Posted by amirprog
@Wintermute
We can agree that the z ultra reached the borderline in pocketability for some and for others it's not pocketable at all. and let's say that the first person is willing to compromise on comfort for a bigger display.

randomuser says the next ultra may have a bigger display so that only could be 7". they wouldn't go for less the 7". would be silly. that's why i wrote 7". in THAT case, they need to market it as mini tablet, not as phablet. this is what i meant.

there are no sales number so that's my safe assumption. i think that it's safe to say that it didn't sell a lot at all. if sony wants to have a good starting point then they need to make the phone dimension smaller and market it as second flagship or make it slightly bigger - 7" display and market it mainly as mini tablet. that's my opinion. you don't have to agree, but i have no doubt that with either of the options i made sony would sell more then they did with the z ultra. no doubt. as of now, the z ultra is an outsider. it doesn't have any identity. they didn't even give it a freaking LED flash.

saying that the z ultra is a flagship is simply not true. flagship does not compromise on ANY internal that is common in other flaghips. not the same hardware. nope. premium is not necessarily a flagship. g flex is a premium phone but it's not a flagship, just an example.

about the buzz, you took what i said and over exaggerated it by miles. there is not ONE good reason for sony to create less buzz. by announcing the ultra seperately they create a new buzz, it's a great time frame to be one of the first devices with the latest snapdragon, the devices gets all the attention it needs. that's far better then announcing it at IFA with the z. no company does that for a reason - they are all not stupid.

i respect your opinion too, but i don't find anything wrong with the way i write. you make it sound like i write in arrogant way or something which is really not the case. that's silly to think. i have my strong opinions and common sense as all here do (well, most, *nodarsixar* *cough*) but i give all the respect to others opinions. actually i'm electronics consumer for not far from 30 years and i have passion for tech, especially for mobile, especially for sony stuff so i do have strong opinions. i think that we are all trying to have fun discussing here about sony like we are doing right now.

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Posted by Wintermute


Well, the iphone 5 is borderline unpocketable for some people (girls with tiny pockets), but that doesn't stop it from selling well. Of course there will be some people who can't fit it in their pocket, but I really don't think it's that many people, since I have many pairs of plain pants from different manufacturers and have no problem at all.

I think it's a REALLY questionable assumption you're making about the 7" display on the ZU 2 (or whatever they call it). Why wouldn't they go for less than 7"? Samsung just did a 0.1" increase from S4-->S5. Why couldn't Sony go to something like 6.7" in the same chassis? Isn't there already another giganto-phablet announced by some Chinese company that has a 6.7" display? There's no just logical reason to assume that they'll go 7" or bust.



There is no safe assumption about numbers. It could have sold a million units, and that would invalidate your whole argument. We just don't know, so there is no defensible reason to assume either way, much less to draw further conclusions from those assumptions. Even if you are correct, you're trying to do a single-variable analysis on this, and I just don't think it works that way. There are many reasons other than the size this might not have sold well, and that's even granting your assumption. In short, not nearly enough information here to draw conclusions.



But you just made this up. There is no universally agreed-upon definition of what makes a phone a flagship phone. This phrase was never even uttered until a couple years ago. For a while, there wasn't really any problem: manufacturers tended to have their one brand and several tiers. So you had the Galaxy S, the Moto Droid X, the iPhone, etc. There was pretty much one top-of-the-line phone from each OEM, and so we started calling it the flagship. But then the line-ups started to diversify. Phablets became popular, and then mini versions, so now many companies make a "regular" phone, then a bigger and smaller version, in addition to a tablet, many times. In short, there's a whole range in different form factors. It doesn't make sense to arbitrarily call one of them the flagship. If you do, you at least need to recognize the fact that it is totally arbitrary.



There's a VERY good reason for them release them together, and I've already mentioned it. The names are TOO CONFUSING, period. Do you honestly think it's a good move for Sony to be simultaneously trying to sell a Z something, a Z1 something, and a Z2 something? If so, why? It makes 0 sense. You were the one talking about the importance of marketing. Well, your customers have to be able to figure out your product line. Samsung has two big reveals each year. HTC had two big reveals last year. Apple has ONE big reveal each year. Clearly, you don't need four big press events every year to get people's attention. In fact, I recall seeing many people on the Internet complain about the HTC of yore and their habit of releasing two dozen phones every year. People couldn't keep up with it and got sick of it. It certainly didn't help them. There is some value in building people's anticipation for your product. It's the reason Apple sells 25 million iPhones (or whatever the number is) every opening weekend when they announce a new one. People haven't seen a new one for a whole year and there's a lot of pent-up curiosity and demand that, for a lot of people, is enough to override discipline and make them buy a new phone.



Sorry, it sounded to me like you were saying anyone who disagreed about product release timing was stupid, like it was a fact.

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Posted by amirprog
@Wintermute
i disagree about iphone example and even slightly bigger devices - it's not borderline for for most small people with short pants, unless you are a small kid or baby that shouldn't carry a cellphone anyway, just for radiation safety alone. anyway, it can't be compared to z ultra size. z ultra arrived for true borderline for most people that when you sit it starts to become really uncomfortable. with 7" compromising about this with start to become impossible for everyone.

because putting myself in sony's shoes, i see no point in going 0.3" more to make difference and z ultra already got bad criticism from reviewers for not having identity and i tend to agree, it's more meaningful going to 7".

about numbers, it's ok to have opinion based on a healthy common sense. sometimes the answers are too simple. i didn't claim anything though.

obviously i mean the "flagship" term that is agreed and recognized by anyone in the industry, at least in the last few years. z ultra does not have all the characteristics of a flagship, though it's close. flagship = a high end device with no compromises on common hardware and quality. anyone WILL tell you that the z ultra is not a flagship just for that reason alone. it's a fact that recognition is made for what is a flagship. this is obviously not math, sure, but it does not need to be 100% absolute to be a term. z ultra is not a flagship by the industry standard. you can call it a flagship by your personal standard, but then, you can call anything what you want like i can.

i totally agree that sony's goal is to go with one flagship each year and i wrote my opinion about this here a long time ago and most if not all here tend to agree. we already talked about this here many times. the reason (or one of) that sony go with 2 flagships each year is because the japanese consumer demands it. i'm sure there is other important business reasons to do it behind the curtains. go figure. nobody dig enough to fully understand why. but anyway, the point i made is that in this strategy (since 2011) the z ultra better announced alone and i made reasons why it's better then announcing it together with z at IFA. that's all. there are also good reasons for annoucing a device at IFA but i think that they are not as strong. againm you don't have to agree. i made my point.

i'm sorry if i sounded or sound rude or something. not my intention. it's nice finding here people like you who like to chat about sony and xperia products and likes the brand and it's fun chatting here about it. if we all agreed 100% on everything then the world would be boring! i agree with a lot of the things you said.

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Posted by -XYZ
Numerous essays here......

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Posted by itsjustJOH
Now I know how English professors feel when they check exams.

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Posted by Ricky D
I think your definition of flagship should perhaps be slightly modified.

Rather than being a 'no compromise handset' which actually means different things to different people e.g. 6.4" screen is no compromise if you want the biggest screen in a handset form factor for others it is a compromise on comfort.

A flagship by definition is the carrier of the flag i.e. what the company sees as it's brand/range/fleet defining device.

In this case the Z, Z1, Z2... Zn are flagships. Everything else is a variant (Tablet, Ultra, Compact, S, C or whatever). This is also backed up by the marketing budget assigned to each device.

Not arguing, just trying to de-murk the waters.

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On the point of screen size, 6.44" is just right. They should stick with it. To me, 7" tablets have always been neither here nor there. 6.44" as a handset is not a bad segment, but no-one expected the public expectation for productivity apps or they didn't push enough that it's aimed as a media device.

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Posted by amirprog
@Ricky D
i understand what you are saying and i agree that the term is not absolute. to be clear, i said that z ultra is not a flagship (when i say "flagship" = the common meaning of it among people and tech geeks in 2014) only because it lacks decent camera and led flash. not because of its size. though, for example, if it had 7" display with the Z2 camera and led flash it wouldn't be a flagship by that "street term" cause it would cross the border to mini tablets size. flagships are also pocketable. z ultra is in the border. do you agree on that?

i agree. if they keep the cellular phone capabilities then they should stick with 6.44" (or slightly smaller display imo) and bring it some unique features like s pen, easier operation with 2 windows, etc. but also pack it with Z2 camera and led flash and its other new features. then it would have all the characteristics of a "flagship".

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Posted by Smaug
I for one don't mind the discussion between Wintermute and Amirprog. This is a forum for people who share a common interest in Xperia products, after all. Valid points were raised by both. And Amirprog, your posts didn't appear rude to me.

The XZU is unlikely to have been designed to sell in high numbers. This doesn't indicate failure. Of course Sony wants to recoup investment, but logic suggests the Ultra was a brand complementer, not a sales pusher. Not every product is designed to sell millions. The Bravia X9 TV is much the same, as it represents the future. If Sony does roll out an Ultra 2, then their internal feedback suggests upside regardless of actual XZU sales.

Wintermute does raise a point over next Ultra. It doesn't necessarily confirm a jump to 7" - that is a massive .56" increase, whereas previous increases tend to be more incremental to allow existing customers to adjust. Also, Sony is likely limited by what their suppliers (JDI, AUO etc) can produce. They can't simply conjure a size where one doesn't exist since their panels are outsourced. As the Ultra is relatively niche, I would be surprised if Sony was able to push for a custom-made panel. They may be limited to "off the shelf" components, but this is pure speculation on my part.

I side with Ricky D regarding the definition of a flagship. True, Wintermute, the term didn't exist a few years ago. If we look to history, flagships referred to a single commanding vessel in a naval fleet. It wasn't necessarily the largest or even the newest. In business, it is generally regarded as the most prominent or expensive product. For Sony: the XZ2.

On a side note, I saw someone operating a DJI Phantom drone in Hyde Park the other day. Pairing the controller to a comparatively tiny iPhone 5 hardly does justice. A slim phone with an oversized screen (like, say, the Ultra?) would be a perfect fit. There are some circumstances where an 6.4" - 7" phablet is ideal (watching media on flights etc). How to market and clearly define the value proposition of such a device is, as Amirprog noted, the challenge.

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Posted by itsjustJOH


Ho hey, didn't say it ain't allowed here.

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Posted by amirprog
@Smaug
agreed.

Wintermute could be right. i never excluded it, but i think that if you ask z ultra users most would say that the display is big enough. Ricky D is one. he seems to be satisfied with the size as it's still pocketable and big enough to make difference. second thing, i made my assumption of 7" by looking at JDI website display list. around phablet size, they have 5.9" and 7". i know they can make modified size for sony, but Z2 and Z1 compact has the displays on that list so i could be right also. i agree, 5.9" and 7" are "off the shelf" and also 6.2" QHD exists but i doubt that sony will use QHD panels in 2014 because in my opinion, the hardware and battery are not strong enough to carry it.

fair enough.

totally a challenge.

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Posted by Smaug
@amriprog

Interesting... A 6.2" QHD panel coupled with Sony's latest screen tech would make great headline specs for a pocketable phablet. But you are right: without the battery to hold it up, all Sony would do is exchange one tradeoff for another. Plus, it hardly helps the "exactly where is this positioned?" conundrum of the original ZU.

Such a screen size decrease also contradicts what Randomuser suggests and I have little reason to doubt him. Plus, if "thinness is in" for Sony, then we can rule out an increase in thickness to accommodate a larger battery.

The T2 Ultra sports a 13MP camera w/flash so we can probably add that to a potential Z2 Ultra. It would be odd for a new Z Ultra to have lower specs than the T2.

I faintly recall an Xperia Arc design being mentioned last year but was quickly shot down. Now it has raised its head again. Any thoughts on a Z2 Ultra with a glass Arc design?

(Not that I'm suggesting the next Ultra will have anything other than Omni-balance. If the Z3 is truly just an incremental update, introducing a new design language then would help grab attention)

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Posted by amirprog
@Smaug
spot on! (agreed)
my time to upgrade will be around Z3 and Z4 but i'm really curious to know where is sony going with the ultra. if they go in the "flagship" footsteps then it will get my attention also.
for arc design, i hope that sony can make it with none plastic material, and if plastic then not the one that arc/arc s had. anyway, should be awesome design nonetheless like only sony knows.

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Posted by Wintermute


Actually, if you want to go by the original definition, the "flagship" was whatever ship carried the admiral, the flag officer.

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Posted by Xajel
Interesting infography,

Click for the full size...




Source

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Posted by amirprog
@Xajel
interesting.
i think that it's too early to judge sony since they just return back with the z. i think that more people start to like sony phones again especially with the Z2, but it will be a very slow progress. up to a few years ago every third person i saw in the street carried SE phone. now it's a rare thing. half got iphone and the other half got galaxy. no wonder. the products are decent and samsung is marketing their phones everywhere here. apple marketing is not strong here but it seems that they don't need any marketing - apple name was always related with high quality products here. sony only market their flagships here once a year in tv commercial. the rest of the marketing is mainly done online on facebook, etc. it's very small market here for sony to invest in more but it shows the dominance of samsung and apple.

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Posted by winnerzero
Is there any release date/timeframe for z ultra successor? Will this timeframe blend in nicely w snapdragon 805 release? I think it would be awesome if so...

If its true that xperia will never see a dedicated audio chip then I think thats a bit sad...because of dwindling Walkman sales, I would have thought this was a no brainer...

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Posted by -XYZ
When exactly is the Z2 going to be launched? And when are the review embargoes going to be lifted....?
I have heard about potential delays due to manufacturing issues, but if they don't get the Z2 out there and lift the embargoes, the HTC could end up consuming sales.
Once the GS5 comes out, nobody really stands a chance, so HTC's lead in mindshare, will put the Z2 at a disadvantage....I'm pretty sure the only reason the original Z did so well, was because it came out weeks before the GS4 and the One (M7)......

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Posted by FMW300
What I don't understand is the fact that Sony makes some incredible, very competitive phones now. Yet, they still don't seem to be selling in numbers anywhere near to Samsung's. From the Z onward, Sony's handsets have been praised for being up-to-par and even better than some of the competition (despite having certain minor flaws as all handsets will have). So why don't phones like the Z1, ZR, SP, M, L etc sell a few million each? And why don't the US operators pick up many of these exceptional handsets, because they sell lots of mid-range phones too?

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Posted by -XYZ
Simple answer is marketing.
I shouldn't have to explain why, it's more or less common sense.

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Posted by itsjustJOH
^Yep. And I think the only Sony phone that is on par with the other flagships is the Z2. Z and Z1 were still behind the competition.

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Posted by AbhiD999


With Z1 itself Sony was ahead of competition. Except of a screen that was inferior in terms of viewing angles, Z1 was simply miles ahead than competition in everything !
And Z2 is on par with competition ? ROFL !!!
There is not even a single device in market that can stand up to Xperia Z2 .

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Posted by Wintermute


Besides marketing, a great deal of it, I think, is inertia. What I mean is that many industries, especially those with high barriers to entry, tend to end up revolving around two or three main players. The introduction of the original iPhone in 2007 essentially invented the smartphone market. It was the only product of its type, and so there was still room for an alternative. Fast forward 3 or 4 years later, and Android had become a pretty credible alternative to iOS and was widely used. Hence there was just no more room in the market for an "unneeded" third option, and Windows Phone 7, even though it was more or less as good as the other two (except in terms of apps), floundered. Fast forward another year or so, and Samsung had broken out of the Android pack and essentially put down its competitors. Now, for the most part, people either use iOS or Android. They either use Apple or Samsung. They are entrenched, and when people upgrade, they stay with the same brand.

What I'm saying is that at the beginning of the "musical chairs" round, there were two seats open, and they were grabbed early by Apple and Samsung, before anyone else even noticed the music was playing. At this point, it doesn't matter if another product is better--there are just no more seats left. Of course it is possible to grab market share from competitors, but it will be much more difficult for Sony now than it would have been 4 or 5 years ago.