An updated Sony 'Compact' could be headed to Japan

Sony 'Altair' looks like an refreshed Z1 Compact for Docomo

The small but mighty Sony Xperia Z1 Compact might have only just arrived in the West, but it's old news in Japan, where it's been available since December under the Xperia Z1 f monicker. And there are already signs a refreshed "Compact" might be on its way to Japanese shores, as a Docomo-bound Sony miniature has just passed through the FCC.

The Sony "Altair" carries the model number SO-04F, which follows the formatting used by the Japanese carrier. (Remember, foreign phones need to pass through the FCC too, to allow legal roaming within the U.S.) And technical drawings from today's FCC filing show an outline very similar to that of the Xperia Z1 Compact, or Z1 f, along with matching proportions. There's little information on what hardware might lurk inside, but a back panel photo found by XperiaBlog points to the same 20.7-megapixel camera used in Xperias Z1 and Z2. If the "Altair" comes to market as an Xperia Z2 Compact or Z2 f, it's likely it could closely match the internals of the full-sized Xperia Z2.

Source: FCC, XperiaBlog

Alex Dobie
Executive Editor

Alex was with Android Central for over a decade, producing written and video content for the site, and served as global Executive Editor from 2016 to 2022.