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Cape Town - Sony has addressed the disappointment of fans who expected the company to launch a Z4 smartphone at the Mobile World Congress.
"Sony has decided to cut down on the flagship cycle. It means that Sony will go to a 12-month cycle," Mark Fenzel, country manager Sony Mobile South Africa, told Fin24.
Fans had widely expected the company to launch the premium Z4 smartphone in line with the launch of the Z3 range at the top gadget show.
The company instead had launched the Z4 Tablet and M4 Aqua. While the upcoming Z4 smartphone will no doubt find expression in the Z4 Tablet, the Aqua is no slouch either.
Though the Aqua is marketed as a mid-range device, it boosts an octa-core 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor and a 2400mAh battery that Sony claims runs for two days on a single charge.
But despite the fact that the Aqua is also waterproof like the Xperia Z3, Fenzel said the longer flagship production cycles mean that fans will only get to see the expected Z4 later in the year.
Game changer
"That's why you haven't seen at MWC [Mobile World Congress] - a true flagship," said Fenzel.
However, he remains bullish about the M4 device, saying that it is a game changer for lower cost smartphones in SA and emerging markets.
"We have created a new category in terms of super mid-range phones."
The device has a 13 megapixel camera with a f/2.0 aperture. Sony was at pains to point out that the front facing selfie camera is rated at 5 megapixels and has a wide angle lens.
As expected for Sony smartphones, it is powered by the Google Android Lollipop (5.0) operating system. The device sports a capless earphone and charging jack, which means that there is less likelihood of damaging the waterproof ports.
It is likely that the Xperia Z4 smartphone will be launched in conjunction with a movie tie-in to the latest James Bond film, Spectre.
The M4 Aqua will build on the M2 precedent. The latter device sells for around R4 000, significantly cheaper than the Z-series and competitively priced against devices like the Samsung Galaxy A5.
However, Sony does not intend to compete in the budget category of sub-R1 000 smartphone.
Watch Sony Mobile South Africa country manager Mark Fenzel explain the company's flagship strategy in this online video:
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