Sony could be working on a new Xperia phone — here's why

Sony could be working on a new Xperia phone — hither's why

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

A new Sony Xperia smartphone could exist inbound and it's got people talking. A cryptic message posted by noted tipster and leaker, Zackbucks, contains a single-letter clue, perhaps hinting at either of a new budget Sony Xperia device or a possible return to Sony's roots with an Ultra variant.

If you thought Sony would slam the brakes on Xperia phone releases after the recent launches of the Xperia 1 3 and Xperia five III, then yous'd be very much mistaken. Indeed, it seems the Xperia brand is blooming, with the Japanese firm possibly gearing upward for all the same another Xperia-branded drop this year.

The best camera phones you lot tin buy
Sony WH-1000XM4 review: The best noise-cancelling headphones
Plus:Samsung Milky way S22 leak just revealed a missing photographic camera feature

Zackbucks' Weibo (Chinese social network) mail appears to nod towards a 'new U' model that could arrive earlier than expected considering of this year'southward rapid-fire launch of the ii Sony Xperia flagships. The auto translation notes that Sony's fast rollout of the ii Xperia flagships allows time for the "new U release."

Although this makes sense, the information should exist taken with considerable hesitation, owing to the tendency for words to be lost in translation when machine translated. With that said, it poses the rather interesting question of what exactly this device could exist.

Machine-translated post — (Paradigm credit: Weibo)

A riddle, wrapped in a mystery

Sony has already earmarked the Xperia 1 Three and 5 Three as this year's flagship releases. And with this thought in tow, information technology leaves several spaces for the Sony Xperia U to fill.

Some speculation has suggested that the "U" could refer to a new "Ultra" smartphone variant, perhaps a follow-up to 2018's Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra. Alternatively, it might even refer to a new budget Sony Xperia model, perhaps an update to the entry-level Xperia L4, which hit shelves in April 2020.

Only time will tell

Of course, the virtually interesting possibility is that of a new "Ultra" device, fifty-fifty though this seems the to the lowest degree probable option given Zackbuks' information, which underlines that Sony has launched this year'south flagships.

But given the animate room the ii Xperia flagships will take had prior to a "new U" model arriving, at that place might not be a need to worry about competing audiences.

A potential overhaul of the mid-range Xperia XA2 Ultra gives further acceptance to this; with a new mid-range device, it would sit away from the Xperia i 3 and 5 II, plus it wouldn't target the same premium audiences every bit, say, the Samsung Milky way S21 Ultra.

Whatever it turns out to be, it's heady news, fifty-fifty if it is simply a slither of speculation at this stage before more than solid information arrives. Stay tuned for further updates.

More than:The best Android phones in 2021

Luke is a Trainee News Writer at T3 and correspondent to Tom's Guide, having graduated from the DMU/Channel 4 Journalism Schoolhouse with an MA in Investigative Journalism. Before switching careers, he worked for Mindshare WW. When not indoors messing around with gadgets, he's a disc golf enthusiast, neat jogger, and fond of all things outdoors.