Surprise Sony Xperia event taking place this October — prepare for a next-gen phone announcement

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Sony joins Apple, Google, and Samsung in major 'techtober' announcements

Sony Xperia 1 III camera array
(Image credit: Sony)

Sony is set to announce an all-new Xperia product on October 26, but it will have to follow all-star events from Apple, Google, and Samsung as the biggest global tech giants gear up for "techtober." Sony has a few tough acts to follow.

Taking place at 11pm EST on Monday, October 25 EDT / 4am BST on Tuesday, October 26, Sony's "Xperia New Product Announcement" is likely to reveal yet another all-new smartphone, despite the Sony Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III recently launching this year. Rumor has it Sony is working on the Xperia IV, but we may even see the revival of the Xperia Z Tablet.

With the Sony Xperia 1 III arriving last August and offering flagship specs, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, 12GB of RAM, a 4K 120Hz 6.5-inch display, 4,500 mAh battery, and high-grade camera sensors, it may be too soon for Sony to drop yet another expensive flagship smartphone. Plus, Sony even released the more affordable Xperia 10 III earlier this year — covering the budget smartphone range. 

According to a post on Weibo (via Notebookcheck), however, we may see the announcement of the Sony Xperia 1 IV, and it's expected to boast a quad 48MP camera setup. Sony has a brilliant reputation when it comes to cameras on the smartphone market, but they usually come at a high price (somewhere around the $1,300 mark).

With the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Plus 5G set to bring a "Premium Tier" upgrade to a host of phones, we may see Sony offer bring out an upgraded version of its latest smartphone.

Whatever Sony's next Xperia device may be, it will have to compete with other big announcements. This includes the rumored 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models at the Apple 'Unleashed' event on October 18, the big Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro reveal on October 19, and everything else announced at the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event Part 2 on October 20.

While we wait for the overload of announcements coming our way, catch up on all things new, including the iPhone 13, Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and the iPad mini 6. 

Darragh Murphy
Darragh Murphy
Editor

Darragh Murphy is fascinated by all things bizarre, which usually leads to assorted coverage varying from washing machines designed for AirPods to the mischievous world of cyberattacks. Whether it's connecting Scar from The Lion King to two-factor authentication or turning his love for gadgets into a fabricated rap battle from 8 Mile, he believes there’s always a quirky spin to be made. With a Master’s degree in Magazine Journalism from The University of Sheffield, along with short stints at Kerrang! and Exposed Magazine, Darragh started his career writing about the tech industry at Time Out Dubai and ShortList Dubai, covering everything from the latest iPhone models and Huawei laptops to massive Esports events in the Middle East. Now, he can be found proudly diving into gaming, gadgets, and letting readers know the joys of docking stations for Laptop Mag.