Alleged 5.4" Xperia Z4 specs and pictures leak, coming January 5th alongside a 5.9" Z4 Ultra

We were just sent a tip that both the Z4, and a larger Z4 Ultra, will be unveiled at the CES expo in Las Vegas on January 5th, which we could have guessed from Sony's press event invitation before. The tipster, however, goes on confirming a laundry list of specs changes that will be in store with the two handsets - it is slightly weaker than what we've heard before in the chipset part, yet more believable than the outlandish claims so far.

The Z4 is expected to sport a 5.4" Quad HD Triluminos display (not the 5.5" we heard before, but it might be a matter of rounding the diagonal up or down). Next in line is the chipset - those who were expecting a Snapdragon 810 one, tough luck, as the source indicates the Z4 will be equipped with an 805 generation, and we are inclined to believe them. January would be too early of a timeframe for a chipset that will only ship to customers in the first half of the year. Moreover, if history is any indication, Sony usually doesn't place the latest that's in tight supply, but usually goes a notch below, and a Snapdragon 805 is nothing to sniff at anyway. 

What miffs us a bit are the purported 4 GB of RAM in Sony's next flagship - a theme we heard in all the alleged specs leaks so far. Granted, the Z4 will be running Android 5.0 Lollipop, and its 64-bit kernel supports addressing 4 GB of RAM now, but such an amount might be a bit overkill, and raise the production price unnecessarily. We'll take it, don't get us wrong, and Sony never saves from the RAM amount, we are just curious if this will indeed pan out. 

As for the all-important camera part, Sony is said to equip the Z4 with the same 20.7 MP resolution, but with a sensor of new generation, and two more lens elements for collecting more light. The front camera has finally been improved, too, and would feature a hearty 4.8 MP sensor with wide-angle view, as any self-respecting selfie phone now should. Last but not least, a 3420 mAh will be backing it all up, which, knowing Sony's frugal display tech, would mean battery life commensurate with the Z3, which has an excellent endurance. For the design changes in the Z4 it's only mentioned that the flagship will have thinner top and bottom front bezels, and more rounded corners, as you can see in the pictures below, and that's all we want from it in terms of chassis restructuring.

As for the Z4 Ultra, it is said to feature a 5.9" Triluminos display (not the rumored 6.4" panel, mind you), the same Snapdragon 805 chipset with 4 GB of RAM, but a lower-resolution, 16 MP camera with dual LED flash. Its other selling point will be an extremely thin chassis, to the tune of the amazing 5.7mm. Knowing Sony, and the fact that the original Z Ultra was long the thinnest smartphone on the market, we are inclined to believe that number.

Interestingly enough, Sony just unveiled a new IMX230 sensor with 20.7 MP resolution, image plane detection AF tech, and 192-point autofocus for blur-free snaps of fast-moving objects, as well as real-time HDR stills, so that might be what we will see in the Z4 indeed. In the press release, the company also said that it is developing a 16 MP version of this same sensor, which fits in nicely with the rumor here that the Z4 Ultra will have a new sensor with that exact same resolution. What do you think about the alleged specs of these two puppies, any takers?

Thanks for the tip!