Has this leak revealed the super-compact Sony Xperia Ace IV?

Sony's Xperia 5 IV (pictured above) is one of the best phones in the mid-range sector, but it may be joined by an even more affordable model. Leaked details on Chinese social media indicate that Sony is preparing to launch a successor to the Xperia Ace III, and unlike that model, the new one appears to be coming to markets outside Japan.

As Notebookcheck.net reports, the new device appears to be a significant upgrade over the current model. That means it could turn out to be one of the best cheap phones of 2023.

Sony Xperia Ace IV: what do the rumours say?

The rumoured specifications include a powerful Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 system on a chip, which should deliver a significant speed boost, and a 5.5-inch, FHD+ OLED panel with a 21:9 aspect ratio. That super-wide ratio is also in other Xperia models and is really good, not just for video and gaming but for reading ebooks and scrolling through social media. If these specs are accurate it's a serious display upgrade: the current Ace only has an HD+ LCD.

In terms of memory, storage and battery, rumours indicate 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage compared to the 4GB/64GB of the current model, with the same size of battery at 4,500mAh but the addition of 18W fast charging.

It sounds like a decent device but it's probably wise to temper our expectations for the time being: when we talk about affordable phones we're still talking about a premium brand, so this device is likely to be more expensive than similarly specified rivals. But for Xperia fans on a budget, it could turn out to be quite the pocket rocket.