Sony Xperia Z6 Release Date, Specs, Price And Rumors

Jan 20, 2016 07:42 PM EST

The last flagship from Sony, the Z5 series, arrived rather late in 2015 in early fall/late summer.  This was a follow-up to the Z3 series, with a Z4 stuck in between the release dates.  Sony fans are anxious to see what this year's model, the Z6 is capable of, and this is what is currently known about the Sony Xperia Z6 with its release date, specs, price, and rumors. 

There are reports from Android Authority saying that Sony is cutting down the number of flagship models that it will release in 2016.  Here are some other things that we know:  the first flagship phone will launch in July, and the second in October.  This probably means that Sony will not announce the Z6 at Mobile World Congress, but they usually aren't like Samsung in practicing that annual event. 

This doesn't mean that the company will only produce two singular models of phones, as the Z5 family included the Z5, the Z5 Compact, and the Z5 Premium.  There is no reason to believe that these flagship models won't have multiple versions of some kind. The sizes of the screens could range from 4 inches to phablet size of 6.4 inches.  As far as the type of screen is concerned, Sony will stick to 1080p screens, but it could upgrade to QHD (2560 x 1440) or maybe even go as high as 4K. 

Another aspect that is known is that both devices will make extensive use of metal, and it is possible that there could be a whole new design for the Z6, if only just to change things up a little.  After all, if you look at the design of the Z1 compared to the Z5, one wouldn't blame you if you couldn't tell them apart. Sony doesn't like to fix what isn't broke, apparently. 

It is also said that the flagship models will support the Snapdragon 820 SoC.  The Z5 series has a fingerprint scanner on its home button, and there isn't really any reason for that feature to change, according to PC Advisor.  It also looks like there will be 3 or 4 GB of RAM and 16/32 GB of storage. It will probably have Android 6.0 Marshmallow right out of the box, which is still needed on the Z5 series. 

Tech Radar has a laundry list of features that they want to see for the Z6, and they include better waterproofing, wireless charging, USB Type C, three-day battery life, and something similar to Apple's 3D Touch.  As far as the price is concerned, it is not expected to be low, as Sony doesn't often go cheap.