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A receptionist speaks on a phone under a Sony Corp logo at the company's headquarters in Tokyo, in this file picture taken February 6, 2014. Sponsors Adidas, Sony, Visa and Coca-Cola on June 8, 2014 called on soccer's rulers to deal thoroughly with allegations of bribery to secure the 2022 World Cup for Qatar, an issue overshadowing this week's kickoff in Brazil. Reuters

Sony announced the latest Xperia M4 Aqua which boasts several major upgrades based from Xperia M2 Aqua. It includes the 64-bit processor from Qualcomm, higher memory, better camera lenses and the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Android OS Version

Sony used Android 5.0 Lollipop as default operating system on Xperia M4 Aqua which is more updated than Android 4.4 KitKat running on Xperia M2 Aqua. Moreover, Xperia M4 Aqua is automatically eligible to receive Android 5.1 Lollipop currently under testing phase for Xperia Z3 and the upcoming Android M version expected to be released later this year. Android Lollipop offers new streamline looks based on Google Material Design, new notifications and lock screen customisation, multiple user modes and better storage management.

Latest Sony Applications

Several native apps from Sony based on Android Lollipop are much better compared to Android KitKat which affect from user interface to battery life. Xperia M4 Aqua offers all of these features right out of the box:

- Updated user interface from themes to icons based from Google Material Design.

- New version of the Battery STAMINA mode for longer lasting battery life.

- Extended Usage Mode for up to 14 per cent of extended smartphone use.

- Ultra STAMINA Mode to squeeze more power by limiting unnecessary functions.

- Updated Sony primary apps such as Album, Music and Video.

New Hardware Components

The biggest difference between Xperia M4 Aqua and Xperia M2 Aqua is the hardware components. Sony upgraded various hardware parts on the latest Xperia M4 Aqua such as processor, display, camera and even the design factor. Xperia M4 Aqua sports 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor making the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor on Xperia M2 Aqua inferior. Also, Xperia M4 Aqua can handle multitasking better by having 2 GB of RAM compared to the 1 GB found on Xperia M2 Aqua.

In terms of camera, Xperia M4 Aqua offers 13 MP Exmor RS rear camera and 5 MP front camera with 22 mm wide angle viewing while Xperia M2 Aqua only offers 8 MP Exmor RS rear camera and a VGA rated front camera. Both smartphones can utilise most Sony Smart Social camera applications downloadable from Google Play Store.

Upgraded Battery Technology

Both smartphones run the latest Battery STAMINA mode which includes features such as Extended Standby Mode, Extended Usage Mode and Ultra STAMINA Mode to make the battery life lasts longer. But Sony Xperia M4 Aqua offers a 2400 mAh battery pack which has been crafted to lasts for up to two days.

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