Upcoming Sony Phones 2014: Alleged Xperia Z3 Specs Almost Identical To Previous Flagship, Here's One Reason Why

Last year, the Japanese manufacturer launched two flagships, and so it is not surprising that one of the upcoming Sony phones for 2014 is the Xperia Z3. 

Tipped to be launched at the IFA event in Berlin in September, the new flagship will surprisingly boast almost identical specs to the Xperia Z2. 

That includes the 5.15-inch Triluminous display with Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution, a Snapdragon 801 chipset, 3GB of RAM, quad-core CPU clocked at 2.4GHz and 16GB of internal memory. 

Other rumored specs include the 20.7MP G Lens camera which has been in the manufacturer's other flagships such as the Xperia Z, Xperia Z1 and Z1 compact. The phone will also probably pack a microSD card slot and run on the latest Android 4.4.4 Kit Kat update, or even the Android L. 

So why is the Japanese manufacturer working on a flagship with almost identical specs to the recent version? 

Apparently, the device will be readily available for the US market shortly after release. This is a major change since Sony has officially announced last year that it would focus the release of its products in markets within the EU as well as Japan. 

Because the Xperia Z2 is not available with carrier support in the US, getting it on contract is also next to impossible from Sony's US website. Unless you are willing to get it from an online retailer, paying a lofty amount of $700 one-time is pretty difficult. 

However, it appears that the Xperia Z3 will arrive in several local carriers which would make it easier to purchase on contract, probably $199 for 24 months. Still, we cannot guarantee any details unless Sony makes the announcement itself. 

Recent rumors also suggest that the Xperia Z3 will be joined by the Xperia Z3 Compact in its launch date, finally uniting the release date for both 'flagship-caliber' smartphones.