Sony could launch an edge-less smartphone in 2017, presumably called the Xperia XZ (2017), according to a new leak.
The smartphone market has become increasingly fierce and heated competition is forcing OEMs to come up with new ways to stand out from the crowd and set their smartphones apart from rivals.
Apple and Samsung still dominate the smartphone market, but Sony wants a bigger slice of the pie and the company is apparently making notable efforts in this direction.
While upgrading more Xperia devices to Android Nougat and promising to be the first OEM to release Android 7.1.1 to its lineup (besides Google, of course), Sony is also working on new devices to release in 2017 and one of them could be particularly exciting.
Sony Xperia XZ (2017) Leak
A very blurry image recently leaked online, purportedly showing Sony's next-generation flagship expected to launch as the Xperia XZ (2017). Should this leak turn out to be accurate, the smartphone could have a dramatically different design with extra screen real estate.
The blurry photo shows virtually no side bezels at all, albeit the top and bottom edges are still quite sizeable. The image shows only the front of the device, revealing the position of the front camera, speaker, and proximity sensor.
Based on this leak, it seems that the Sony Xperia XZ (2017) will not have a physical Home button, which indicates that the fingerprint scanner could either be mounted on the back of the device or embedded underneath the display.
The photo offers no hint as to whether the Xperia XZ (2017) will have a headphone jack, as there seems to be a growing trend of ditching the port in the latest flagships. Apple started it with the iPhone 7 and got mixed reactions, but more smartphones with no headphone jacks are nonetheless expected to hit the scene in the future.
CES 2017 Debut?
Sony is already gearing up for CES 2017 where it will surely unveil a number of new devices, but it remains to be seen whether the purported Xperia XZ (2017) will be among them. Phone Arena points out that Sony usually brings its first wave of Android smartphones for the year in February, just before the Mobile World Congress kicks off, so the Xperia XZ could make its debut in a couple of months rather than in January at CES.
With no official word from Sony, however, take this blurry Xperia XZ (2017) leak with a hefty grain of salt.
