An official Sony Xperia Twitter account tweeted a very unsubtle teaser for the Japanese tech giant’s upcoming Xperia Honami. The handset, which will likely be introduced as the Xperia Z1, has been the centerpiece of tech world rumors and leaks for the past several weeks.
Sony has taken note of the buzz, posting the photo of a beautifully-machined power button attached to a not-yet-released device – with a caption that reads “It’s the smartphone everyone’s been talking about… not long now.”
The “not long now” comment is fueling speculation that Sony will announce the Honami at the IFA trade show in Berlin on September 4. HTC and Samsung are also said to be showing off new handsets at the same tech conference. Sony could be facing fierce competition to unveil a show-stopper with specs to match or exceed the rumored HTC Max and Galaxy Note III.
The Twitter photo, posted by @sonyxperia, also contains the hashtag #bestofSony.
“The hashtag reflects the company's marketing campaign for the Xperia Z, which emphasises how Sony has turned to Bravia for the display, Walkman for music and the Exmor R sensor for the camera,” stated PocketLint.
The most recent rumors and leaks swirling around the Sony Honami have included an alleged camera sample, as well as photos of Sony’s also-rumored “lens cameras” attached to what appears to be a new handset – likely the Honami.
According to the photo sample, Sony’s next flagship smartphone will include an impressive 20MP Exmor R camera, putting it somewhere between the Galaxy S4’s 13MP sensor and the Nokia Lumia 1020’s incredible 41MP “PureView” shooter.
Sources have claimed that the Honami will feature a 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 CPU, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal memory that can be expanded with a microSD card. Leaked specs also reveal a 5-inch 1080p “Triluminous” display with X-Reality and a large 3000 mAh battery with “Stamina Mode.”
Leaked promotional materials also suggest that the Honami will be able to shoot 4k video.