Sony tipped to launch compact smartphone with Xperia Pro-grade main camera

Sony's next Xperia-series smartphone is now rumored to launch as a compact variant - however, based on its alleged specs, it is not likely to be the 5 VI. For a start, it has a screen predicted to have a diagonal length of 6.0 inches, as opposed to the OEM's traditional 6.1-inch measurement.

The panel is also said to have a more premium resolution of 2K and a 120Hz refresh rate - made of OLED "with anti-reflection coating". That display will apparently be driven by the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC of the Xperia 1 VI.

Unlike the 1 VI, however, it is also believed to have a 1-inch camera sensor - and one of 50MP in resolution. It might have OIS and support for up to 14-bit RAW captures...and is, oddly enough, possibly rumored to come from OmniVision.

Its other 2 12MP rear cameras, on the other hand, might support more Sony-like features such as S-Cinetone for up-to-4K/120fps, 10-bit photos, if not all the new zoom capabilities of the 1 VI. That might be why the smartphone is thought to launch as the Xperia Pro C, a surprisingly small successor to the Pro-I.

Despite its size, it is also believed to pack a 5,000mAh battery with unusually (for Sony) fast 45W charging. Nevertheless, that collection of specs in a compact form-factor might result in a paradoxically oversized price-tag, especially as the Pro-I still manages to go for $898 on Amazon nearly 3 years after its debut.