A new Sony Xperia smartphone may be on the way, and it's getting a lot of attention. A cryptic message posted by well-known tipster and leaker Zackbucks contains a one-letter hint, suggesting either a new budget Sony Xperia device perhaps or a possible return to Sony's roots with an Ultra variant.

If you thought Sony would put the brakes on releasing Xperia phones after the recent launch of the Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III, you would be very wrong. In fact, the Xperia brand seems to be blossoming, and the Japanese company may be preparing to release another Xperia-branded product this year.

Zackbucks' Weibo (Chinese social network) post appears to be a nod to the "new U" model that may be coming sooner than expected due to the rapid launch of two Sony Xperia flagships this year. The machine translation states that Sony's rapid rollout of the two Xperia flagships will allow time for the release of the "new U."

While this makes sense, this information should be taken with considerable hesitation, as machine translation tends to lose words in translation. Nevertheless, this information raises a rather interesting question: what exactly is this device?

Sony is already planning to release the Xperia 1 III and 5 III as its flagship models this year. And given this thinking, that leaves some space for the Sony Xperia U to fill.

Some speculation suggests that the "U" could refer to a new "Ultra" smartphone variant, perhaps a follow-up to the 2018 Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra. Or it could be an update to the entry-level Xperia L4 released in April 2020.

Of course, the most interesting possibility is a new "Ultra" device, but this seems the least likely given that Zackbuks' information underlines that Sony has launched a flagship model this year.

However, given the longevity of the two Xperia flagships before the "new U" model arrives, competing users may not need to worry. [The potential overhaul of the mid-range Xperia XA2 Ultra lends further credence to this. The new mid-range device would position itself away from the Xperia 1 III and 5 II, and furthermore, it would not target the premium segment like, for example, Samsung's Galaxy S21 Ultra.

Whatever the case, it is exciting news, even if it is still speculation at this stage before more solid information arrives. Stay tuned for further updates.

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