New Xperia phone's lighter and slimmer

Sony unveiled its newest flagship smartphone, the 5.2-inch Xperia Z3+, on Wednesday.

Known in Japan as the Z4, the Z3+ boasts a slimmer and lighter design, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor and a new 5MP front-facing camera.

DESIGN

The Z3+ shares the same "Omnibalance" design with its predecessors, and is the same width and height as the Z3.

But it is slightly thinner, at 6.9mm, compared with the Z3's 7.3mm frame. The metal frame is also a bit shinier this time, compared with the matte finish of the Z3.

The biggest change is Sony's new capless micro-USB port. Previously, a flap covered the port to provide water-tight sealing. But the Z3+ boasts a waterproof port design that does not require a flap.

Sony has also removed the magnetic charging connector points, so there will not be a charging dock for the Z3+. The lanyard slot has also been removed.

The rear camera is the same 20.7MP, f/2.0, 1/2.3-inch Sony Exmor sensor camera. But the front camera has been upgraded to 5MP, up from 2.2MP.

PERFORMANCE

The Z3+ gets an upgrade to Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor with 3GB RAM, and internal storage has also been bumped up from 16GB to 32GB.

Due to the slimmer profile, the battery on the Z3+ is slightly smaller at 2,930mAh, compared with the 3,100mAh battery on the Z3.

But Sony says that its software optimisation will still allow the Z3+ to last up to two days with normal usage.

AVAILABILITY

The Z3+ is scheduled to launch in mid to late June. Local pricing is currently unavailable.

Like the Z3, the Z3+ will be available in four colours: black, white, a revamped copper that is a bit lighter than the previous copper, and a new aqua-green that is quite similar to the old silver-green.