The Xperia Z3+ to succeed the Z3

To be honest, that's a more appropriate name for the phone, given the incremental upgrade it possesses over last year's model. The Z3+ may look very identical to the earlier phone, but inside it has almost everything you'd expect from a 2015 flagship.

Beginning with what hasn't changed: the 5.2-inch 1080p IPS display. The Z3's 20.7-megapixel main camera is also carried over, with Sony focusing attention on an all-new 5-megapixel selfie cam, which represents a solid upgrade from last year's 2-megapixel shooter.

As would be expected, the Z3+ is powered by Qualcomm's best, the octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor paired with 3GB of RAM, which should keep Android 5.0 computing away comfortably when compared to the Z3's 801.

In order to cut down the Z3+'s dimensions (it's 6.9mm thick, compared to 7.3mm last year) the battery has been cut from 3,100mAh to 2,900mAh. Hopefully the 810's four low-power cores will mean that reduction won't affect battery life in real-world conditions.

There's one change worth talking about. The micro-USB port has moved from the top left, down to the bottom of the phone -- the fiddly cap is gone. Sony says this new capless port doesn't affect the phone's IP65/68 dust and waterproofing certifications in any way.

The magnetic charging pins, which used to live just below the charging port, have also been removed in pursuit of "an overall more seamless and minimalist design."

The Z3+ will be available later this year at an unknown price -- but it should sell for about the same as the Z3 at launch.