Sony is reportedly on the verge of resurrecting its Xperia Compact smartphone. Leaked renders, published today by OnLeaks, suggest the Japanese tech giant could soon announce a 5.5-inch handset, the natural Android rival to Apple's 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini.
The design of Sony's miniature Xperia phone appears to take its cues from last year's Xperia 5 II – very good news indeed considering that phone's AV handsets – but flaunts a thinner bezel and a neater teardrop-shaped notch for the selfie camera.
It's no copycat, though, and whereas Apple's iPhone 12 Mini shoehorns flagship specs into a compact case, Japanese sources claim the 2021 Xperia Compact will debut as an 'affordable, entry-level phone' with a mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 chipset.
Sony has yet to comment on the leaked renders, which also suggest the device will sport a 3.5mm headphone jack, a fingerprint sensor embedded in the power button, and Sony's latest dual-camera set-up.
If this all sounds rather familiar, it's probably because it wasn't that long ago that Sony launched the first Xperia Compact: the fully-featured flagship debuted in 2018, but it only lasted a year before being canned.
Sony Mobile explained its decision back in 2019 with the following: "We stuck with Compact for a very long time, because of the ease of use... There’s always room for different sizes, but people want a lot more surface area for their content now.”
Now, it seems Sony could be going back to see how a cheaper Xperia Compact fares. With sales of the flagship Apple iPhone 12 mini said to be "weak" (via 9to5Mac), Sony might just be onto something.
MORE:
Thinking of upgrading? Check out today's best iPhone 12 deals
Or read our in-depth review of the Sony Xperia 5 II
And here's our take on the best smartphones for movies and music
