Sony Xperia XZ4 Compact renders leak showcasing thick bezels and 18:9 display

Sony is expected to launch its new range of Xperia smartphones at the upcoming Mobile World Congress that will take place around February in 2019. But the leaks related to its upcoming smartphone range have already begun to surface on the internet and they show a new design direction from Sony. It is indeed good to know how Sony has begun to change its design philosophy year on year, instead of going with minor changes like Apple and Samsung do. And as expected the leaked renders,  which come from tipsters @onleaks and @compareraja, reveal a brand new design philosophy with the Xperia XZ4 Compact. [caption id=“attachment_5690391” align=“alignnone” width=“1024”] Leaked render of the Sony Xperia XZ4 Compact. Image: @onleaks/@compareraja[/caption] The Xperia XZ2 Compact launched last year went with a **curved back** , which not only made it hard to use the smartphone when placed on a flat surface but also increased the thickness of the smartphone, making it chubby. The XZ4 Compact’s leaked renders reveal a flat back with a more angular design. While it may sound like Sony is reverting to older designs, this one’s far from it. The leaked renders show a smartphone with chubby bezels at the top and bottom ends of the display. The sides also look thick, but they really aren’t. As per the renders, the display literally sticks to the frame and is almost bezel-less around the left and right sides. It is the metal frame which holds the glass sheets together that has been given a rounded design which gives the impression the bezels are really thick. [caption id=“attachment_5690401” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Leaked render of the Sony Xperia XZ4 Compact. Image: @onleaks/@compareraja[/caption] Indeed, it is a bit strange why Sony would want to make their smartphones look a bit dated with thicker-looking bezels. But Sony has always gone by its own design ideas and never followed the industry (the display notch is a good example), which usually stuck to what Apple had showcased at its last iPhone launch. Of course, that trend **has now changed** and most Android smartphone manufacturers are finding new ways to make their smartphones look refreshing moving well past what Apple has to offer in terms of design. Little is know about the rest of Sony’s upcoming smartphone range, but the renders reveal that Sony will retain the 3.5 mm headphone jack and even retains a side-mounted fingerprint reader from older models. As for the internals, nothing was revealed in the leaked renders, but it’s easy to conclude that Sony will launch its smartphones with Qualcomm’s latest **Snapdragon 855** inside.