Sony's naming scheme for smartphones is getting weird.
In April, the company launched the Sony Xperia Z4, its new flagship smartphone and a successor to last year's Xperia Z3, but only in Japan.
Now, the Z3+ is globally available, but it's essentially the same device as the Z4 -- which, as we noted at launch, isn't too much of an upgrade from the Z3 anyway.
The Z3+ is a 5.2-inch device with a full HD screen, a 20.7-megapixel camera, an octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and Android 5.0. It has a selfie-friendly, 5-megapixel front camera and a 2,900mAh battery; Sony promises up to two days of battery life. It's also thinner and lighter than its predecessor: 6.9mm and 144g versus Z3's 7.3mm and 152g.
The specs are exactly the same as the Z4, which is only available in Japan, including the IP65/68 dustproof/waterproof rating and the colors it comes in: white, black, copper and aqua green. But the somewhat odd decision to name the global variant Z3+ might mean Sony has an entirely new flagship up its sleeve.
Don't get us wrong: Specs-wise, the Z4 (a.k.a. Z3+) is more than capable of holding its own against flagships from other companies. But the physical similarities with last year's model (the biggest difference being the micro-USB port, which no longer has a cover but is still waterproof) as well as lack of significant upgrades result in a less-than-exciting new phone.
The Z3+ will hit stores worldwide in June in single- and dual-SIM variants. The pricing has not yet been announced.