It’s time for IFA 2017 rumour-mills to start spinning. And first off, we have some news about Sony’s new bezel-less phone that is being speculated to be announced at IFA 2017. A new concept video depicting a potential Sony Xperia flagship appeared online not too long ago, having been made by 3D artist Saber Kchikech.
The device shown in the video that can be seen beneath this writing is visibly distinct from anything else that the Japanse original equipment manufacturer (OEM) ever came up with, while still looking like a true Sony-made smartphone. The artist achieved this result by closely following sony’s OmniBalance product design philosophy, mandating designers to always strive for symmetry and balance in all directions and only make small compromises for functionality purposes.
The ultimate product of Kchikech’s efforts is a nearly bezel-less smartphone with an edge-to-edge display which flaunts a glossy silver finish and a premium, metal unibody design. The device has no physical Home button and features a single-lens primary camera setup with a dual-LED (dual tone) flash unit in the top-left corner of its rear panel, in addition to sporting a USB Type-C port.
Recent reports in regards to Sony’s design efforts related to its upcoming products have been relatively mixed; back in March, the tech giant’s Marketing Director Don Mesa said the firm has no plans to closely mimic what its rivals are doing in terms of unconventional aspect ratios, stating that an Xperia-branded smartphone sporting a screen with an 18:9 image format isn’t something that the company is planning to do in the near future.
Regardless, Sony’s joint venture Japan Display Inc. (JDI) started mass-producing a new 6-inch 18:9 panel less than two weeks ago and while there are no guarantees that JDI’s next display module will make its way onto one of Sony’s future devices, such a scenario is still relatively plausible, some industry watchers believe.
The company previously said it’s planning to release two more high-end smartphones by the end of the year following the launch of the Xperia XZ Premium. While the upcoming duo might simply differ in terms of screen size, another possibility is that Sony is planning to launch one device with an 18:9 aspect ratio, and another unit featuring the more conventional 16:9 format. The tech giant will likely be arriving at this year’s IFA Berlin that’s scheduled to start on September 1, so more details on its product endeavours should follow shortly.
