Sony Xperia Z6 price, release date, specs & rumors: here's what to expect by the second half of 2016

We have not gotten past a month since the release of Sony's latest flagship phone, the Xperia Z5, which comes in three variants/sizes (Sony Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact and Xperia Z5 Premium), but the excitement for the release of its successor has already picked up some steam.

The tech consumers nowadays are just either so disappointed of the current lineup or too impressed of it that they would want to get their hands on the next. And the obliging that we are, we gather the latest scoop and here's what we know of the 2016 Sony smartphone so far.

Release Date and Rumors

As for the release date, Rikke Gertsen Constein, art director for Sony, has alluded during the IFA 2015 in Berlin that they are not keen on releasing a smartphone device from their Xperia line for the first half of 2016. Sony fans could be looking into the second half of 2016 for the next launch, and to be followed in the next couple of years after that, as per a Breathe Cast report.

The waiting period for the Xperia buyers might take a little bit longer than the usual, where Sony has stood by its typical waiting period of six months in between the launch of a new smartphone model, but some tech people believe this could also work in a positive light for both the consumers and the company.

Some consumers were not too appreciative of the fact that every six months a new model upgrade is coming out in the market, which they feel has given them a short window to enjoy and get a good feel of their current device. As for Sony's part, Cross Map noted that they could avoid committing that mistake of alienating their own users by making them feel their device is easily outdated. Launching a new model longer apart from its predecessor can also ensure that the new devices have more to offer and not just some half-baked upgrade of the previous model.

Price and Specs

The people behind PC Advisor, expects the new Xperia phone to run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 processor, which would be the standard for premium phone models next year, and 3 GB to 4 GB of RAM. Not much should be expected with the design and screen size though, as Sony seems to be keen on keeping their square shape and 5.2 inches screen.

The 4K display, which has already found its way in the Z5 Premium model, could be a standard for the Z6; not unless, they opt for Quad HD instead of the current Full HD display. The Xperia Z6 will most likely run the latest software of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The expected price for the Z6 is around $800.