sony experia compact render

Credit: OnLeaks

  • A new report claims the Sony Xperia Compact phone line will be revived.
  • The report also shows off alleged renders of the 5.5-inch smartphone.
  • There’s no word on when this smaller smartphone will be released.

It looks like Sony may be about to reboot its smaller lineup of Xperia smartphones. Noted gadget leaker “OnLeaks” is reporting that the company is working on a new entry in the Sony Xperia Compact phone series.

Read more: 5 things we war to see from Sony in 2021

Sony first launched the Xperia Compact line in 2014 with its 4.3-inch Xperia Z1 Compact. It launched a number of phones with the Compact label over the next few years. In 2018, it released the last phone with that brand, the Xperia ZX2 Compact with a 5-inch display. Today’s new report claims that the new phone will have a 5.5-inch display. That’s a lot bigger than previous phones in the series but still smaller than most phones that are currently sold.

The report also shows off some renders, which show that this phone will have some rather large screen bezels compared to most phones on the market. In addition, it will have a dewdrop design for its 8MP front-facing camera, which has all but disappeared from the latest smartphones.

sony xperia compact render 1

Credit: OnLeaks

The renders also show a dual rear camera for the phone, with the report claiming that the primary camera will be 13MP. The left side of the phone will have a volume button, a camera button, and a power button with an embedded fingerprint reader. There will also be a 3.5mm headphone jack on top.

The report doesn’t reveal any more details, such as the processor, RAM amount, or onboard storage space. At first glance, this is very much a “retro” design for a phone, so it’s possible that it could have fairly low hardware specs inside. It could also have an equally lower price tag. The report did not offer any information on a possible release date for the new Xperia Compact handset.

In late 2018, there were rumors, also complete with leaked renders, that Sony was planning to launch an Xperia XZ4 Compact phone. However, that phone never officially launched. In early 2019, Don Mesa, Sony Mobile’s vice-president for marketing, seemed to indicate the company was done with smaller phone designs, saying at the time, “There’s always room for different sizes, but people want a lot more surface area for their content now.”

If this report is accurate, it’s possible Sony has had a change of heart. However, the big question is if consumers really want a smaller phone design, or are they now used to the larger displays?

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