On Wednesday afternoon in Berlin, Sony took the stage at IFA 2015 to unveil a new lineup of consumer electronics stretching across multiple product categories. Although the smartphone stole the spotlight, there were a few other highlights as well, so we’ve decided to collect the three announcements that stuck out to us and round them up below.
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Here are three of the biggest announcements from Sony’s IFA 2015 press conference:
1. The world’s first 4K smartphone
The first major announcement was an unsurprising one: Sony has been working on the Xperia Z5 to follow up its Z4 from earlier this year. The new phone features a 5.2-inch display, a 23-megapixel camera sensor and a fingerprint sensor. When it launches, it’ll be available in four colors: white, graphite black, gold and green.
But the standard model isn’t what caught our eye. Sony also unveiled the Z5 Compact with a 4.6-inch display and the Z5 Premium, which is the first smartphone to have a 4K display. I’m not sure how 4K quality will translate to a 5.5-inch display, but Sony certainly got our attention.
2. A new, strangely titled range of headphones
Over the past couple of years, Sony has doubled down on its commitment to Hi-Res Audio. Sony wants to be a player in the world of audio accessories again, so this year, they’re launching the brand new “h.ear” range of headphones.
That bizarrely titled lineup includes the “h.ear on” on-ear headphones, which come in five different colors, and the “h.ear in” in-ear headphones, which feature digital noise canceling and come in the same five colors.
Other audio-related offerings include a new Walkman, the CAS-1 audio system and, yes, a car audio player. Weird, right?
3. Project Morpheus is still on its way
Alright, the press conference was a little underwhelming (unless you’re desperate for a 4K phone), but having donned Project Morpheus more than once, I can’t help but be excited about its impending release.
Sony didn’t have any real news about the device or a specific release date, but in case you forgot, Morpheus features a 5.7″ 1920 x RGB x 1080 resolution OLED display, can render images at 120fps and is still set to launch in the first half of next year.
