Sony Xperia Z6 Premium, Ultra, Price, Release Date & Rumors: Goodbye Five Devices, Hello Two SD820-Equipped Flagships?

Is Sony releasing five or two flagships with SD820 processors? We have all the details and rumors on the Sony Xperia Z6 Premium including its price and release date here.

Releasing several variants of the same phone model is not new. Mobi Picker says major smartphone companies such as Apple and HTC commonly launch numerous variations of one flagship.

According to an earlier post by AnTuTu on Weibo, the electronics company intends to release five new variants in 2016: the 5.2-inch Xperia Z6, the 4.6-inch Z6 Compact, the 4-inch Xperia Z6 Mini and the Xperia Z6 Plus which comes with a 5.8-inch display. The largest one out of the lot would be the 6.4-inch Xperia Z6 Ultra.

AnTuTu says both the Z6 and Z6 Plus models will have screen displays that are similar to a Force Touch. Four models will come with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 processor while the Z6 Mini will come with the 620.

CN Beta has provided us with a distinctly different report, stating that Sony will be trimming down the Z6 flagships to just two models. The report indicates that the company is cancelling the Mini, the Premium and Ultra models, leaving either the Z6 and Z6 Plus or possibly the Xperia Z6 and the Xperia Z7.

Digital Trends says the earlier reports could still be correct. The source speculates that Sony is possibly dropping the 'flagship' label on the Z6 Mini, Ultra and Compact, leaving the Z6 and Z6 Plus.

Based on CN Beta's report, the next line of Xperia Z6 phones will come with metal back covers, a significantly different look compared to the Z5. None of the phones will feature 4K screen displays and might include newer technology.

If the source is to be believed, Sony will not be launching a new device during the CES 2016 event. Phone Arena says this is possible as the Z5 will only be on the market for three months once the CES 2016 event starts.

Sources speculate that the first flagship will be announced in May and starts shipping in June while the second may be launched in September and will be available on the market by October.

This appears plausible and in line with Sony's current practice of releasing one flagship every six months. The only exception was this year when the company released several new models with minor variations between them.

There are no details yet in terms of pricing but we will keep you updated once we get more details.