Sony's next Xperia flagship may be just around the corner

What you need to know

• Sony's Japanese website teases the "Xperia Special Event 2024" in Tokyo, Japan on May 17.
• The name alone seems to tease a new Xperia launch, and a "product experience" is also listed in the schedule, furthering this suspicion.
• Sony has yet to announce a launch for the Xperia 1 VI, however, its predecessor was revealed in May 2023, so there's a possibility for the same this year.

Sony has started teasing a reveal regarding its Xperia flagship phone series as an event in May could hold its official launch.

Sony launched a new event splash page promoting the "Xperia Special Event 2024," which is set for May 17 in Tokyo, Japan (via 9to5Google). The details (machine translated) state "Xperia developers introduce the latest features" and that consumers can join in to see them in person.

The company highlights the event's itinerary, starting with a reception and then a welcome speech before rolling into a "product experience." While it's likely that this portion will reveal what "new features" Sony has in store for its Xperia line, it could also reveal its next flagship: the Xperia 1 VI.

Sony states that the event is limited to 100 people in Japan, and people have until April 30 to apply for a seat in the crowd.

Sony has yet to announce the existence of the Xperia 1 VI formally, but we have the Xperia 1 V to look back on. Last year's device, aimed at content creators, launched around May 11 — which is close to this year's planned "Xperia" event in Japan.

It's cause for excitement, but nothing is set in stone, so we'll have to wait and see.

Rumors have surfaced regarding the upcoming flagship entry, with some suggesting it could drop in display quality. It was stated that the Xperia 1 VI could lose its 4K resolution display in favor of a "2K Plus" or "Quad HD Plus" panel. The former is what the Xperia 5 series sports, which is usually seen as an alternative consumers can look to instead of the flagship Xperia 1 series.

More recently, supposed Xperia 1 VI renders leaked, and give us a look at an alleged change to its aspect ratio. The device seems to opt for a 19.5:9 ratio instead of the taller 21:9 ratio that the 1 V features. The renderings suggest Sony will continue its boxy design for the phone alongside a vertical triple camera array on the back panel.

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