Over the last few weeks we've been seeing more and more of what Sony has in store for consumers at IFA 2014, with some of the focus being put on the upcoming Xperia Z3. The device itself has seen the light of day in several ways, including leaks and a run through a Chinese Wi-Fi Certification site. And while there have been consistent rumors regarding its specifications, nothing's quite official just yet.

At the end of August we saw that Sony has a pretty big lineup headed to IFA, ranging from new wearables to a new tablet, and somewhere in there is a pair of new smartphones, too. The expected announcement of the Xperia Z3 is a bit of a surprise for most, considering the Xperia Z2 only launched a few months ago (especially here in the States). But, according to specifications reportedly found taped to the back of an Xperia Z3 out in the wild, and published by PhoneArena, it still looks like the changes will be minimal -- and yet, noticeable.

The specs seen on the paper seemingly confirm the reports that the Xperia Z3 will indeed share plenty of similarities to the Xperia Z2, but will feature differences, including a new processor under the hood, a slightly sleeker frame and other key changes. The 5.2-inch inch 1080p display will stay the same for the most part, but Sony has reportedly increased the brightness to a total 600 nits -- which should match that of Samsung's Galaxy S5, and great for seeing outdoors even in direct sunlight. The aforementioned processor will reportedly be a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core MSM8974AC, clocked at 2.5GHz.

It will have 3GB of RAM, offer 16GB of built-in storage, and have a microSD card slot. And, as we've heard, the Xperia Z3 will also be keeping the 20.1-megapixel camera on the back. The Xperia Z3's dimensions have slimmed down to 146.5 x 72.4 x 7.5mm, which makes it a tad smaller and thinner than its predecessor. However, what some will also notice is that while Sony still claims the battery will last "two days," it has been slimmed down, too, from 3200mAh available in the Xperia Z2, down to a 3100mAh battery in the Xperia Z3.

So, not a lot of changes, but many in specific, key areas that some potential smartphone owners may like seeing upgraded from the previous model. However, those who picked up the Xperia Z2 could potentially feel a little burned by this. There are still reports that this device will make it State-side through T-Mobile, but it has also been reported that Sprint will land the Xperia Z3 as well in the near future.

Via PhoneArena