Speculation on a new Sony flagship smartphone has been around for a while - since the end of 2017 - but it's ramping up now Barcelona's Mobile World Congress is on the horizon. The enormous mobile phone trade show starts at the end of February and reports suggest it will play host to the unveiling of the Sony Xperia XZ Pro.

It's the first time we've heard the name, with XZ2 and other monikers bandied around previously, but Chinese website MyDrivers seems certain its sources are correct. It also posts a photo of a screen, with the Xperia XZ Pro name displayed and some specifications.

Sony Xperia XZ Pro to amaze MWC 2018 crowds image 2
MyDrivers

It doesn't go as far as saying where the image originated, however, so do have an open mind about it.

If genuine though, it shows a phone with 6GB of RAM, microSDXC card support, Android 8.1 Oreo from the box and you just make out from the blurrier areas that it will be run by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor.

The website also claims that the phone will have a 5.7-inch 4K OLED display. Its predecessor in the flagship phone stakes, the XZ Premium, also has a 4K display, but its slightly smaller and IPS LCD rather than OLED. The new handset could possibly, therefore, provide better colour saturation and/or HDR performance - but that's just a measured guess on our part.

It is also claimed that the XZ Pro will sport a dual-lens camera on the rear, with 18-megapixel and 12-megapixel sensors. The front camera is said to be 13-megapixels.

Mobile World Congress 2018 officially starts on Monday 26 February, with some activity expected the Sunday immediately prior. Pocket-lint will be there to bring you all the news and previews as always.