After official teaser shots, high-quality spy snaps, interface leaks and more, it seemed almost inevitable that legit press shots would appear before Sony had a chance to announce its
handset.
And right on cue, just two days before its scheduled unveiling at the IFA tech show in Berlin, Xperia Blog has gotten its hands on some pretty official-looking renders showing the new flagship device in all its glory.
The 'final hi-res' images came from an unnamed Asian retailer and show the slimline design, two-tone metal frame, microSD card slot and the 'G Lens logo' on the rear to indicate the new camera tech.
The now-familiar Sony power button, the volume rocker and camera trigger can also be seen on the sides of the handset.
Fevered speculation
The Xperia Z1, also known as 'Honami' or 'Xperia 1i' at various points over the last few months, has been the subject of fevered speculation.
The successor to the popular Xperia Z is likely to pack Android 4.3, a 20-megapixel camera with an improved shooting interface and a 5-inch Full HD display.
As well as the advanced stills photography smarts, it has also been rumoured that the Z1 will shoot video at 4K resolution, making it the first big manufacturer to include the tech within a smartphone.
Now the official-looking shots are out there, all that's left for Sony to do is reveal the device itself. Thankfully there's less than 48 hours to go.
