By I-Hsien Sherwood (i.sherwood@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Mar 01, 2013 11:58 AM EST

Even before the Sony Xperia Z smartphone hits the U.S., rumors have emerged of an upgraded Xperia handset that Sony plans to release this summer, according to Xperiablog.

The Sony C670X is expected to come with a slightly smaller display than the Xperia Z (C660X) at 4.8-inches but will still have a full HD resolution of 1080 x 1920. The C670X will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 (APQ8064T) chipset with 1.8GHz quad-core processor and Adreno 320 graphics. Other features include 2GB RAM, 32GB internal storage and a 13MP Exmor RS camera."

The Xperia Z has a 5-inch display with the same resolution as rumored handset. It's APQ8064 Snapdragon S4 Pro processor runs at 1.5 GHz.

"We are told the phone is due to launch in the middle of 2013 with Android 4.2," says Xperiablog. The Xperia Z comes with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but Sony has said it plans to update it the 4.2 soon, perhaps even before the American release.

The leak also included a photo, but it's hard to tell if it could actually be a picture of a new handset. The photo is a just a rendering, so anything could be added or changed in Photoshop. But maybe there was a mix up involved.

"The image sent over is the same as used in the set up guide for the Xperia Z, despite it clearly not being a picture of the Xperia Z. So either this Sony render is a generic placeholder image used when setting up a new 2013 Sony Xperia handset or it is indeed an image of an upcoming handset that Sony has inadvertently used in the Xperia Z."

In any case, if Sony is planning on releasing additional handsets, it means it isn't sticking to the "one phone to rule them all" strategy championed by Apple and HTC.

Check back for updates on this rumor as they become available.

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