Sony’s Xperia Z4 launched with only a minimal amount of fanfare when it was announced back in April of this year, but if press images of the newest flagship from Sony are any indicator, then it would appear the Z4 probably was a stopgap device as the company prepped something new.

“New,” insofar that the new handset, as discovered by Xperia Blog view some press images, is indeed a new handset, even if it shares some obvious connections in design to its predecessor. According to the initial report, Sony’s calling the new phone the Z5, and it has a design that’s strikingly similar to the Z4, with at least one exception: The word “Xperia” is engraved into the side of the handset.

Of course, there are other changes, too. First and foremost, the camera has been upgraded to a 23-megapixel shooter, up from the 20.7-megapixel camera that was present in the Z4. The Z5 will also come in varying colors, as is usual for Sony, including a turquoise shade, white, and gold.

That’s not all the Xperia news, though. A recent post published by Sony Georgia, which has subsequently been removed, indicates that Sony will have quite the showing at this year’s IFA in September. According to that post, Sony will showcase the Z5 Compact with a 4.6-inch 720p HD display, the Z5 with a 5.2-inch 1080p screen, and, finally, a Z5 Premium with a 5.5-inch display with a 4k 2160p Ultra HD display. Finally, each of the handsets are said to be rocking the same 23-megapixel camera.

Nothing is official yet, but if it makes any Sony fans feel a bit better, these recent leaks reportedly line up with what serial leaker, Evan Blass, has heard from his own sources. So, take that for what it’s worth.

What do you think of the Z5?

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Alcatel OneTouch thoroughly surprised the Android world earlier this year with the release of the Idol 3 5.5. We weren’t blown away with its specs, benchmarks, or flagship killing, but it is a beautifully simple budget phone with a great design that works. There are no gimmicks, and it’s a cheap, well-designed phone that performs.

Back at Mobile World Congress in March, Alcatel OneTouch announced two variants of the Idol 3, with one of the headlining features for both devices their usability upside down (which I guess could be called a gimmick). The Idol 3 5.5, the bigger variant with a 5.5-inch display was released in April. Now, the smaller version, with even less horsepower under hood has been released as the Idol 3 4.7. So, the big question on my mind for Alcatel OneTouch is this: Can lightning strike twice?

Let’s start with the specs:

What I like:

• I love the size. Love, love, love the size. I’ve been using the Nexus 6 for several months and I’m not a fan of the size. Using a device this size is a breath of fresh air. It’s so easy to hold and use with one hand. The slippery back issue I had with the Idol 3 5.5 doesn’t matter anymore. The back is made of the same materials, but the size of the phone makes it easily grippable.
• Performance has been great thus far. I’ve been doing a lot of gaming on the device (NFS Most Wanted, Granny Smith, Hill Climb Racing) without any stutter or lag. If you have another game you like to benchmark performance with let me know.
• The display. You’d think having about three-fifths the pixel density of the Nexus 6 would bother me, but it’s not. Viewing angles are great, the display gets bright, and 720p looks fine on the 4.7-inch display of the Idol 3 4.7.
• Unlocked price of $179.99. I like that.
• Expandable memory. I’ve been a long-time user of Nexus devices without expandable memory and forgot how nice it is to have an extra place to store photos and media content. It’s handy.

What I don’t like

• I’m disappointed by the speaker sound quality. The Idol 3 4.7 has dual firing front speakers that get loud, but they’re very tinny. I don’t remember this issue with the Idol 3 5.5. Comparing the sound to the now $500 Nexus 6 with dual firing front speakers, the Nexus 6 clearly sounds better.

An obvious competitor to the Idol 3 4.7 is the recently-released Motorola Moto G (3rd Gen.), which offers the exact same unlocked price point of $179.99. The Idol 3 4.7 is smaller in all dimensions including display size, is lighter, and has the dual front JBL speakers. The 2015 Moto G looks like it has two front speakers, but it doesn’t. However, the Moto G does have lots of tricks up its sleeve, like Moto Maker customization, water resistance, and a larger battery. Additionally, the Moto G comes with two memory options: 8 GB of ROM with 1 GB of RAM for $179.99 or 16 GB of ROM and 2 GB of RAM for $40 more. The Idol 3 4.7 comes with one memory option: 16 GB of ROM and 1.5 GB of RAM.

Options are good and both devices have their trade-offs. Both phones have lots of similarities and deciding between them is going to come down to personal preference and overall performance. And as reported, so far performance has been great with the Idol 3.

That’s all I have to report on now. The Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 4.7 is available now unlocked for $179.99 on Alcatel’s website as well as on Amazon. So far the Idol 3 4.7 feels like another winner, especially at the size and price point, but I’m not ready to give it my full recommendation yet. Stay tuned in the coming week for a full review of the device. And be sure to let me know if you want anything specific covered in the full review.

Are you in the market for a small budget unlocked device? Do you feel like 4.7-inch is too small? Or do you find smaller devices refreshing in a world of phablets? How does the $180 price point feel to you? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!

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Welcome back to Android Gaming Weekly, our weekly recap of new game releases. We still plan to cover upcoming releases and games we’re playing, but this column is dedicated to new games that you can start playing right now. Check out our top picks and let us know in the comments section if you have any suggestions for next week’s post.

Merchants of Space

Description: Build and develop your space station, mine resources, trade with astronauts and aliens, challenge your friends in the weekly competitions and be the biggest space merchant ever!

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Free Fur All

Description:  Race for the finish line, spice up your selfies, flip the perfect pancake and more in this collection of We Bare Bear games. It’s a regular Free Fur All!

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Whispering Willows

Description: Play as Elena to find her missing father, use your astral projection to solves the mansion’s tricks and puzzles, help the lingering souls and discover so much more in Whispering Willows.

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Blitzcrank’s Poro Roundup

Description:  Blitzcrank must save his fluffy poro friends from Baron Nashor’s belly. Why? Well, because robots have hearts too… or maybe their programming is just telling them that they do. This is getting confusing.

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Lara Croft GO

Description: Lara Croft GO is a turn based puzzle-adventure set in a long-forgotten world. Explore the ruins of an ancient civilization, discover well-kept secrets and face deadly challenges as you uncover the myth of the Queen of Venom.

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Flats

Description: Flats is a Multiplayer / Singleplayer FPS. Multiplayer : Including Deathmatch,Team Deathmatch,Territories,Capture the Flag, Blow up the Base (Bomb). Singleplayer : Shoot enemies and survive every phase. Enemies become stronger gradually.

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Tales from the Borderlands Pt. 4

Description: Tales from the Borderlands is a five part episodic game series from the creators of The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead – A Telltale Games Series.

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Rescue Quest

Description: Join two wizard apprentices on an epic quest by matching gems and casting magical spells to help rescue the captured spritelings from a malevolent sorcerer.

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Framed

Description: FRAMED is a multi-award winning noir-puzzle game where you re-arrange panels of animated comic book to change the outcome of the story.

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Scribbled Arena – PocketEd

Description:   Disguised in the playful doodle is a thrilling multiplayer experience where high skills are rewarded. Take charge of your tank and head-on for real-time challenges with your facebook friends or any other player.

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