It has already been reported that Sony appear to be working on a new Z4 product of some description. We’ve seen leaked specifications showing that it will have a 2K QHD screen, that being 2,560 by 1,440 pixels. It’s also reported to be based around the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor backed up by 3 GB of RAM. We’ve seen a number of leaks purporting that the device will be a full size tablet, although we’re not sure if this means a 10-inch class or perhaps a larger, 12-inch device similar to the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro and Note Pro devices. If we had to speculate, we would also suppose that the new Sony tablet would also support PS4 Remote Play.
Sony appear to have confirmed this with their latest tease Tweet – check out the source below. The Tweet says “Bigger, sharper, brighter…become immersed like never before.” To dissect these words; this points towards the newer Z4 tablet being larger than the Z Tablet and the Z2, which have a 10.1-inch screen. We had already seen this rumor. For sharper, again we have already seen the rumor that the Z4 will feature a higher resolution screen. For brighter, this is a new one; perhaps Sony are planning on incorporating an extra bright display? If the Z4 has the same weatherproofing technologies as the other Z models in the range, this could make the device extra useful for when using it outside.
Sony have maintained something of a bias towards battery life with the Z range of devices with a number of hardware and software features. On the hardware front, their reliance on 1080p display resolutions has kept the number of pixels down for the silicon inside to move around the screen, which means it has to work hard and this reduces power consumption. The Sony Z3 Compact Tablet also appears to have some clever backlight optimization taking place, which reduces power consumption when the tablet is not at maximum brightness. Adding to these features is how Sony also includes software power saving features under the STAMINA name, which typically shuts down network-using applications and services; STAMINA mode is more of a polish applied to the core power-efficient hardware. If Sony are indeed switching to a QHD display screen on their Z4 model(s), this must mean that the Snapdragon 810 has acceptably low power consumption when driving this quality of screen. Either way, we will have the answer in a small number of hours!