The Sony Xperia Z made quite some waves due to its high-end specs and waterproof capabilities, but a Snapdragon 800-powered model could get even hotter.

Sony is reportedly working on a refresh of its Xperia Z flagship handset and Qualcomm's much-touted Snapdragon 800 chip will apparently run the show.

The news comes from Eldar Murtazin, the editor of Russian site Mobile-Review. Murtazin offered several leaks in the past and some of them proved to be correct, so this rumor has some credibility. Keep in mind, however, that nothing is official, so take all leaks with a grain of salt regardless of their source.

Murtazin posted some intriguing tweets, claiming that he tested an Xperia Z handset packing a Snapdragon 800 chipset and the device proved to be "really fast." In a follow-up tweet, the tipster further notes that the prototype in question was sporting a display similar to the HTC One's Super LCD 3. Murtazin does, however, express his doubts that the commercial model will launch with this display.

While not all of Murtazin's leaks proved to be accurate, this one might just turn out to be true. First of all, Sony Mobile gave its flagship models a spec bump in the past. Both the Sony Xperia Arc and Xperia S, for instance, saw their clock speeds jump in the Xperia Arc S and Xperia SL refreshes, respectively, so the Xperia Z may get a spec bump of its own. On the other hand, a refreshed model rarely packs an entirely new chipset.

Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 800 is definitely the hottest chipset to power upcoming high-end devices, and Sony is already rumored to pack the chip in upcoming models such as the Xperia Z Ultra, also known as Togari. Sony may have played with a potential prototype of the Xperia Z with the more powerful processor, but it remains uncertain whether the model will actually see the light of day.

If the revamped Sony Xperia Z with Snapdragon 800 on board does prove to be true, it will likely make an appearance at the company's upcoming event scheduled for June 25. The Xperia Z Ultra may make its debut at the same event, so stay tuned for more information.