There were rumours in January of Sony Mobile introducing an Xperia Compact at some point in 2021, but the latest report suggests it might not be what we all thought. 

Reliable leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer (@OnLeaks) revealed some renders earlier this year of what he claimed were of the "Xperia Compact". AndroidNext (via AndroidHeadlines) has since reported that this device is actually the Xperia Ace 2 destined for the Japanese market however.

The site said the device would feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 chipset with 5G, a 5.5-inch display with a 21:9 aspect ratio, a dual camera, dedicted camera button and a fingerprint sensor within the power button. A 3.5mm headphone jack was also mentioned in the report.

The details match what Hemmerstoffer claimed about the Xperia Compact, though he added that the device would have a waterdrop notch and would measure 140 x 68.9 x 8.9mm.

Hemmerstoffer didn't detail what platform the Xperia Compact he was talking about would run on. Given previous "Compact" devices made by Sony ran on the most powerful chipsets like their larger siblings, the SD690 would be surprising if the two devices being reported by OnLeaks and AndroidNext are the same.

Sony Mobile has confirmed nothing as yet, so there is still hope of an Xperia Compact being resurrected. Perhaps the Sony Xperia Ace 2 is just very similar in terms of specs.

We will have to wait and see for now, but you can read all about the Sony Xperia 10 III and Sony Xperia 1 III, both expected to be the next Sony Mobile releases in our separate features.