Sony Xperia Z2, successor of the Xperia Z1, gets new updates such new hardware upgrades, better screen display and resolution, brand-new operating system and upcoming speculated release date in April 2014. Know the five exciting characteristics of the upcoming Xperia Z2 Avatar.

Brand New Operating System

Sony Mobile released Xperia Z1 with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean which is a little disappointing compared to the Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 running Android 4.3. But the Japanese tech company may change views using Android 4.4 KitKat on the rumoured upcoming successor - the Xperia Z2 Avatar.

Google will release Android 4.4 KitKat around October or November 2013 which allows manufacturers to grab the source code before 2014 begins. According to CNET, the early build of Android 4.4 KitKat could be an incremental update with tweaks included.

- Integrated options for printing: Sony may enable their own printing app

- Wireless payments: More ability for international owners to purchase add-ons

- Smoother animations: Expect changes in the Xperia UI

- Palette colour scheme

- Enhancements on the camera and gallery apps: Sony will change these with their own

- Import and export images in PDF format with variety of sizes and quality

- Application of new native filters and effects

- Native apps such as Google Drive, Keep and QuickOffice

Android 4.4 KitKat is also speculated to be lightweight on the memory which will greatly improve system performance of the Xperia Z2.

IGZO Screen Display

Sony may use Sharp's IGZO display technology on the Xperia Z2 which also rumoured to be featured on several upcoming devices from other brands. IGZO offers a very pixel-dense display that is easy on the battery compared to TFT LCD screens. In addition, pixel density of 500ppi is also possible on IGZO screens.

Xperia Z2 is rumoured to 505ppi pixel density, higher than the Xperia Z1's 441ppi and HTC One's 469ppi for crispier and more detailed images and videos.

Display Engines for Mobile

Triluminos with X-Reality for mobile are also expected to be included on Xperia Z2 to improve contrast, brightness, tones and colours. Moreover, it can boost colour gamut of up to 50 per cent larger than conventional LCD panels, better reproduction of tones and textures, sharper images and refines tune saturation.

Sony G Lens

Sony Xperia Z2 will have the same 20.7MP camera of the Xperia Z1 which is a Sony G lens. Sony G lens feature Carl Zeiss optics and improves in-focus image quality, defocuses background areas, gathers light better and minimised flare for higher contrast. In addition, Xperia Z2 will sport a 3.5MP front-facing camera and possibly features an Exmor RS imaging processor.

Xenon Flash

LED flash is common among smartphones and tablets since it can be minimised with relatively low power consumption in contrast with Xenon flash. However, Sony may replace LED flash for Xperia Z2 with Xenon due to following benefits.

1. Bursts brighter than LED

2. Flashes with longer range

3. Reduces blur on images during night shots

4. Significantly produces less noise in images

The downside on the upcoming smartphone would be the battery consumption and possible larger space occupied by the Xenon flash. It is unknown yet if Sony will take the bulk on the device.

Exclusive Camera Apps

Sony Xperia Z1 exclusive camera applications such as Info-Eye, Timeshift-Burst and AR Effect which can be useful in many scenarios. Info-Eye allows the user to get useful information about the object, Timeshift-Burst captures 61 frames within 2 seconds which gives a selection of photos to choose from and AR Effect adds fun animations on your image capture.

Xperia Z2 may get improvements on the three apps such as faster or offline saving of Info-Eye information, more frames on Timeshift-Burst and AR Effects available for video recording.

Waterproof and Dust Resistance

It is definite that Xperia Z2 will have the same proofing on the Xperia Z1 such as IP55 and IP58 ratings. IP55/IP58 features waterproof and dust-resistant protection on the device and allows you to use it underwater. Hopefully, Sony could use a better screen protection other than tempered glass for Xperia Z2.

Slim Unibody

Credit: AndroidSaS

An alleged picture of Sony Xperia Z2 leaked and was revealed by Android SaS. It is very similar to the Sony Xperia Z except for the bigger display and super slim design. Since Sony Mobile apparently set rules to employees not to upload images or use third-party benchmarking applications, there is no way yet to determine if the image is accurate.

Processor and RAM

Sony will still use Qualcomm's Snapdragon quad-core processor to power up the Xperia Z2 and a 3GB RAM to handle multi-tasking and improve app loading of the device. Android 4.4 KitKat's speculated better multi-core processor support and lightweight system may greatly help Xperia Z2 in many aspects of performance such as 3D games rendering, camera processing, network stability and many more.

Release Date

As of now, rumours are setting their expectations in April 2014 as Sony's possible release date for Xperia Z2. It is also predicted that the upcoming smartphone will be priced a little bit expensive compared to the launching price of Xperia Z1. In addition, Sony may produce 3G and 4G LTE capable models of Xperia Z2 Avatar.