The next-generation Sony Xperia Z4 flagship smartphone was absent from the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015 just as rumored, but should nonetheless arrive before September.
Recent reports had suggested that the Xperia Z4 would not be present at this year's MWC, as Sony wanted to avoid competing with the Samsung Galaxy S6 and HTC One M9 announced at the show. Indeed, the 2015 flagship smartphone from Sony did not make an appearance at the MWC, as the company chose to unveil a new Xperia Z4 Tablet instead.
Nevertheless, Sony has now suggested that its new Xperia Z4 will arrive later this year, likely well before September. Last year, the company unveiled its Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact, and Xperia Z4 Tablet Compact at IFA 2014 in September. Sony has now told Trusted Reviews that it has not moved to a 12-month product cycle, indicating that the new Xperia Z4 should arrive before September.
Tim Harrison, Sony's Vice President of Global Communications and PR, told the publication that the company's next-generation of product will indeed be the Z4, but did not disclose just when it will announce the new flagship smartphone. He did, however, indicate that it could be sooner than expected.
"As a general rule you will see some adjustment to the way we phase our products, but we're certainly not going to offer any specific details as to when we are going to bring our next products, beyond these, at this stage," explained the executive, as cited by Trusted Reviews.
"We haven't always announced a smartphone at MWC, sometimes we phase it and we'll have a smartphone or a tablet," he added, defending the company's decision not to unveil the Xperia Z4 smartphone at MWC.
"This year we really wanted the emphasis on our story at MWC to be around expanding the mid-range offer and broadening the mid-range and obviously bringing in a super premium tablet as well. It's more a case of phasing the products in than anything else."
At the same time, the executive highlighted the fact that Sony's Z3 range of devices unveiled back at IFA 2014 continue to perform really well on the market, suggesting that their ongoing success may have something to do with the Xperia Z4's launch later in the year rather than MWC.
In conclusion, a new Sony Xperia Z4 flagship smartphone is on its way and should arrive before September, but it remains unclear at this point just when the big unveiling will occur.
