Sony, in a not-too-subtle tease, has given the biggest hint regarding the launch of it's next-gen Android smartphone, the Sony Xperia Z1, or Sony Honami.

Sharing a picture via Twitter, Sony has shown off the now-iconic power button from the side of its next device. The side-mounted button is common to the Xperia Z family of devices, appearing as a feature in the Xperia Z, Xperia Tablet Z and the Xperia Z Ultra.

The wording that Sony has chosen is rather playful too. "It's the smartphone everyone's been talking about", reads the Tweet, as though Sony has been sitting watching tech sites like Pocket-lint chew over the details of its forthcoming device. We've certainly been talking about it and it looks like Sony is about to join in that conversation too.

The hashtag #bestofsony reflects the company's marketing campaign for the Xperia Z, which emphasises how Sony has turned to Bravia for the display, Walkman for music and the Exmor R sensor for the camera.

Rumours have the Sony Xperia Z1 pegged as a 20-megapixel camera and an uprated Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset, to match that in the Xperia Z Ultra, which will make for a hugely powerful device. Throw in waterproofing and that slim design and we'll all be reminded why Sony Mobile feels like a force to be reckoned with again.

There's not long to go until the big reveal at IFA 2013 in Berlin. We can expect all the details to be revealed in the Sony press conference on Wednesday 4 September, where Pocket-lint will be in attendance.

We will keep you posted.