Sony Mobile had been using a consistent form of model numbering for its Xperia smartphones since 2013. This involved a series of five characters – one letter followed by 4 numbers. For example, the 2019 Xperia 1 had model numbers J8110, J8170, J9110, while the 2013 Xperia Z had model numbers including C6602, C6603, C6606.
Sony is rolling new firmware updates which add the 1 April 2020 Google Android security patches to a variety of devices. The Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 flagships get new build number 55.1.A.3.149, while the Xperia XZ2, XZ2 Compact, XZ2 Premium and XZ3 get build number 52.1.A.0.672.
It has already been four years since virtual reality hit the market. Back then, it was supposedly going to be the next big thing. Unfortunately, though, it looks as though a lot of early predictions about the technology were wrong. VR options like the Oculus Rift are still too pricey for a vast proportion of end users, and people are still to be convinced that the platform will be revolutionary. However, the introduction of 5G networks across Japan could help VR to break into the mainstream and start making waves. 
Japanese operator NTT docomo has announced that Sony's latest handsets, the Xperia 1 II (Mark 2) and Xperia 10 II (Mark 2) will both land on the network. The interesting news from a western perspective is that docomo has confirmed that the Xperia 1 II flagship will be launching in Japan in late April – this is earlier than expected, and would be great news if it had a similar launch window in Europe and North America.
Sony is updating its two current flagships with a new firmware update that adds the 1 March 2020 Android security patches. The Sony Xperia 1 moves from build number 55.1.A.3.49 to version 55.1.A.3.107.
Sony is rolling a new firmware update for the Xperia XZ2 family (XZ2, XZ2 Compact,XZ2 Premium) and Xperia XZ3 which adds the 1 February 2020 Android security patches. The build number moves from 52.1.A.0.532, which was the first Android 10 update, to version 52.1.A.0.618.
One of the things that many Fujifilm photographers probably wanted in the company’s cameras is probably in-body image stabilization. Fujifilm made this a reality with the launch of the Fujifilm X-H1, but oddly enough the cameras that followed did not adopt the feature, at least until now where Fujifilm has unveiled their latest flagship, the X-T4.
While externally the X-T4 looks very much like its predecessor, the biggest change probably has to be IBIS. For those wondering why this is a big deal, it is because prior to this, photographers who wanted image stabilization had to rely on lenses that came with the feature which limited their options.
If you’re a fan of instant print cameras, then you might be interested to learn that Fujifilm has announced their latest camera in the form of the Fujifilm Instax Mini 11. For those who are unfamiliar, these are cameras that have the ability to snap a photo and print them on the fly, making them ideal for parties and events where people get to take home a photo as a souvenir.
Now, clearly this isn’t Fujifilm’s first time releasing such a camera, but the company has made some improvements to it over the years. One of those improvements to find its way into the Instax Mini 11 comes in the form of Automatic Exposure. If you’ve ever used these types of cameras before, then you know that sometimes the photos don’t always look the best.
We have the first hands-on photos of Sony's new super mid-ranger, the Xperia 10 II (Mark 2). This follows on from our earlier post showing the first hands-on pics of the Xperia 1 II (Mark 2). You'll see a couple of photos below showing the size difference between the 6.0-inch Xperia 10 II and 6.5-inch Xperia 1 II.
Sony's announcement of the Xperia 1 II (Mark 2) received a lot of buzz earlier in the week, however the one disappointment is the likely 3-4 month wait before Sony's latest flagship will be available. A consequence of this is the lack of any hands-on previews from the media to sustain the buzz. We can understand Sony's decision on this as there's no point overplaying your hand right now, and have nothing to keep the interest going once we get closer to launch. It does make us wonder why it was necessary to announce the phone right now in this case, but Sony have a track record here…
Sony has upped their game when it comes to their mid-range smartphone offering, as its newly announced Xperia 10 II (Mark 2) sports both an OLED display and is IP65/68 water resistant for the first time. It's nice to see some of these previous flagship features trickle down into the ‘super' mid-range.
Sony has unveiled its 2020 smartphone flagship in the form of the Xperia 1 II (Mark 2). As the name suggests, Sony has taken what made the Xperia 1 great and made some very worthwhile improvements.
Sony has teased a new professional smartphone aimed at photographers/videographers called the Xperia PRO. Don't confuse this with the keyboard-equipped Xperia pro of yester-year, this new Xperia PRO is meant to be Sony's best of the best in 2020.
Sony was due to announce its latest Xperia smartphones at its MWC video reveal tomorrow morning, however it looks like everything has been revealed ahead of time. XDA writer Max Weinbach who has a good reputation for previous leaks, has just revealed full details of both Sony phones due to be announced – meet the Xperia 1 II and Xperia 10 II.