The last we heard from Sony and its Xperia range was the arrival of the Sony Xperia 5 IV, which was announced in September. It's a smaller version of the Sony Xperia 1 IV, with a 6.1-inch display, but a new leak suggests an even more compact device is on the way for this particular series of phones.
Unconfirmed information posted on the Chinese social networking site Weibo, reported on Notebookcheck.net (opens in a new tab), points to an upcoming Xperia phone with a 5,5-inch screen and a modest set of internal specs. Middle range.
The idea is that the phone could be the successor to the Sony Xperia Ace III, which was only released in Japan. This time, however, the rest of the world is rumored to be getting the phone as well.
Spec appeal
In terms of specs, the leak lists a Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 processor, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, and a 4500mAh battery capacity. The 5,5-inch screen will reportedly have a resolution of 2520 x 1080 pixels, and the phone will also offer 18W wired charging speed.
If that's how the Sony Xperia Ace IV is presented, then it's a significant leap from its predecessor. The Sony Xperia Ace III comes with a 5,5-inch, 1496 x 720 pixel display, Snapdragon 480 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a 4500mAh battery.
The Xperia Ace III debuted in June 2022, so the same month of 2023 seems like a good bet for when the next phone might arrive, and of course we'll let you know if and when Sony makes the new phone official.
Review: compact phones for individuals
There's not much for those who prefer a more compact phone. If the Sony Xperia Ace IV is real and well equipped with a 5,5-inch screen, then it will be one of the smallest phones available on the market.
We know there hasn't been an iPhone mini this year: Rumor has it that the iPhone 13 mini simply didn't sell enough units for Apple to justify an iPhone 14 mini. However, it seems that the iPhone 14 Plus is not changing in large numbers either.
Considering that the vast majority of phones today have screens larger than 6 inches, it would seem that consumer demand for these small phones is really low. The success or not of the Sony Xperia Ace IV would be another indicator.
Maybe flip phones are the answer: a nice big screen to use when it's open, but also something relatively small to fit in a pocket or bag. Now all we need is for the prices of these foldables to drop enough to attract mid-range phone buyers.