Sony Xperia Z3+ arrives with a secret: it's actually the Xperia Z4 ~ lotfi

The Sony Xperia Z3+ has been officially unveiled, signalling yet another flagship from the Japanese firm which is committed to its rather ludicrous six-monthly reboot schedule.

At first glance the "Z3+" handle may suggest this is a phablet, but no, this is a direct replacement for the Xperia Z3, to go up against the Samsung Galaxy S6, HTC One M9 and LG G4.

In fact it's the same handset as the Sony Xperia Z4 which launched in Japan earlier this year, but Sony has deemed it right to change the name for the rest of the world.

Sony Xperia Z3+

The reason, Sony's brand is so big in Japan it can pass off this incremental upgrade as a whole new device.

The Sony Xperia Z3+ sports the same 5.2-inch full HD display, 20.7MP rear facing camera and 3GB of RAM as the Z3.

Minor differences

There are some minor differences in design. The Xperia Z3+ is just 6.9mm thick compared to the 7.3mm Z3, while weight has been reduced from 152g to 144g.

Water and dust proofing remain, as does Sony's iconic Omnibalance design language, while under the hood the Xperia Z3+ gets a power bump with a Snapdragon 810 chip now in the driving seat.

Sony Xperia Z3+

There's good news for port fans too, as the USB socket on the Xperia Z3+ is not covered, making charging less of a hassle, while still maintaining its waterproof credentials.

Round the front the camera has been boosted to 5MP and now benefits from Sony's Superior Auto mode - just like the rear snapper.

Sony Xperia Z3+

Sony claims the Xperia Z3+ will offer users two day battery life from the 2900mAh power pack, while a quick charging accessory will apparently give you a day of use in just 45 minutes.

In terms of colour you'll get to pick from black and white and new interpretations of copper and ice green.

The Sony Xperia Z3+ release date has been set for June 2015 globally, although we're still waiting on a price.