Sony appears to have another Xperia Z phone on its way, already. Photos of the Xperia Z3 frame have leaked along with specs and a potential August announcement date.

The Sony Xperia Z2 is barely on the shelves and already Sony is apparently planning to announce its Z3 for a 2014 release.

The photo shows the Z3's metal frame which, according to the source of Phone Arena, is treated with a PVD coating to provide a more corrosion-resistant surface. It should also make the frame more impact resistant and hardier when it comes to withstanding scratches. All that and it's more environmentally friendly too.

But behind the shell the specs might not be quite so impressive. Considering this phone probably won't arrive until the second half of 2014 when competitors are rumoured to be releasing QHD displays. The Z3 will, allegedly, come with a standard 1080p display, Snapdragon 805 processor at 2.7GHz with 3GB of RAM. And there should be Sony's lovely 20.7-megapixel camera.

News of Qualcomm releasing its first 8-core processor later this year suggests that Sony will be unveiling a handset that's already outdated if these specs are accurate for the August unveil.

Of course this is all rumour based on a photo of a bit of metal so we're not getting too excited. However, in previous years, Sony has had a double release schedule for handsets. Typically, Sony Mobile has introduced new handsets at IFA in Berlin, which would put its potential launch around 3 September.

READ: Qualcomm to begin manufacturing 64-bit 8-core chips this year