Verizon-Exclusive Xperia Z4v Is Sony's First 1440p Smartphone

Sony announced that it will launch the Xperia Z4v exclusively on Verizon Wireless this summer. The Xperia Z4v is Sony's waterproof and dust proof successor to the Xperia Z3v on the Verizon network.

Sony has had a rather confusing launch strategy for its new flagship model, by calling it the Xperia Z4 in Japan first, and then giving it the Xperia Z3+ name internationally, only to go back to an Xperia Z4 variation for the U.S. market. It's unclear exactly why Sony chose to do this, especially as it's only going to make the next flagship name even more confusing (Xperia Z4 internationally/Xperia Z5 in the U.S.?).

It's possible that after the Japan launch, the company realized the offering wasn't strong enough to call it the "Xperia Z4," which is why it moved to the Xperia Z3+ name. However, Verizon tends to get its way with its phone partners, and it probably wasn't going to put too much money into advertising last year's product name with a "+" next to it. An "Xperia Z3+v" wouldn't have been that easy to advertise, either.

Verizon's Xperia Z4v is also slightly different than the international Xperia Z3+. The main difference seems to be that it comes with a 1440p resolution display, making it the first Sony phone to have a resolution higher than 1080p. Sony has been reluctant to move to higher resolutions on its smartphones, citing battery life concerns.

However, that argument wouldn't make sense if the company continued to use old 1080p panels manufactured with a less efficient technology. A modern 1440p panel could be just as efficient. The real trade-off in battery life would be if Sony started using 1080p panels made with the same modern technology, but it seems the company has decided to simply start using 1440p Triluminos panels instead.

Another difference is that the phone is a little thicker at 8.6 mm compared to the Xperia Z3+, which is only 6.9 mm. It's not clear why this difference exists, as the battery size is virtually the same at 3,000 mAh.

The Xperia Z4v phone will arrive with the same Snapdragon 810 processor that's inside the Xperia Z3+ as well as 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal storage, support for microSD expansion up to 128 GB, cat.6 LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac and hVoLTE (hybrid VoLTE that allows VoLTE calls to switch back to normal calls when the VoLTE signal drops).

Sony's Xperia Z4v also comes with high-res 96 kHz/24-bit audio and supports audio technologies such as ClearAudio+ (automated equalizer settings), DSEE HX (upscales poor quality MP3s to CD quality), LDAC (proprietary Sony technology that can send high-res audio over Bluetooth) and automatic headset compensation.

The Xperia Z4v's cameras seem to be the same ones as on the Xperia Z3+. On the back it has a 20MP shooter that can take 4K videos at 30 fps, and in the front it has a wide-angle 5MP camera optimized for selfies that also supports many of the rear camera's software features.

The device also supports PS4 Remote Play, which allows Xperia Z4v owners to play full versions of their PS4 games on their phones, via Wi-Fi.

The Sony Xperia Z4v will be available on Verizon's network this summer in black and white color options. Customers will also be able to purchase cases from brands such as Otterbox, Case-Mate, Tech21 and Incipio. The device will come with Android 5.0.2 out of the box.

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