A new report on Digitimes claims that Sony Mobile is looking at launching a new 12-inch tablet device in the first half of next year. This isn’t the first time that we are hearing rumors about a 12-inch Xperia tablet as around a few days back the rumor mills were buzzing about a Sony Xperia Z4 Ultra tablet with mind-boggling specs. Back then, we weren’t quite sure if the rumor could be trusted as the spec-sheet sounded too good to be true, but this new report from Digitimes does further strengthen the previous rumors about the ‘Xperia Z4 Tablet Ultra’.

The report claims that Sony will be starting mass production of the 12-inch tablet soon and launch it by the first half of 2015. The tablet is said to come with a 12.9-inch 3840 x 2400 resolution display, Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 8MP camera, and a body that’s around 8.6mm thin. Surprisingly, supply chain sources have told Digitimes that the tablet is likely to be priced in excess of $1000, which will make it one of the most expensive tablets in the market. Now, we’re not sure if there really is a market out there for a $1000 Android tablet. Especially when you consider the fact that the most expensive iPad model is on sale for $699 currently. It’s not just Sony that will be jumping into the 12-inch tablet market, Digitimes also claims Apple and other vendors are also all set to enter the premium 12-inch tablet market. This is likely to impact demand for notebook computers next year, although it does remain to be seen if the 12-inch tablets will really be able to affect notebook sales if they are going to be priced much higher than most 10-inch tablets in the market currently.

The earlier rumors about the Xperia Z4 Tablet Ultra claim that the device will sport a 4K resolution 12.9-inch TRILUMINOS IPS display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset, 6GB RAM, 8MP 1/2.3” Exmor RS rear camera with Carl Zeiss f1.8 lens, HDMI 1.4 Input, PlayStation 4 Remote Play, 64GB onboard memory, S-Force Front Surround speakers, Hi-Res Audio support, DSEE HX, Digital Noise Cancellation, 12100mAh battery and a design similar to the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact.